Grafted Pulp - A New Canadian Forest Product

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Canada contributes importantly to a vision of a more sustainable bio-economy in which innovative, bio-based approaches will replace products and processes based on petrochemicals. Canada has invested heavily in researching green chemistry, biofuels, and new materials based on nanocellulose. With 10% of the world's forest, our traditional pulp and paper industries have much to offer the bio-economy transformation. This proposal targets new ways of making much stronger wood pulp fibers, which could lead to materials supplanting plastic packaging and other non-sustainable materials. Specifically, we are proposing a partnership between McMaster University, BASF Canada and CANFOR, aimed at the development of new polymers and processes that will convert commodity market wood-pulps into high value-added Grafted~Pulp. As the first commercial example of polymer-modified market pulp, this research will build on Canada's strong track record of forest sector innovation. The first phase of this work will be conducted at the McMaster University Centre for Pulp and Paper Research by two Ph.D. students and a post-doctoral fellow. The full-time research team will be augmented by summer research students. In the longer term, we envisage technology transfer to BASF, who will manufacture the new polymers, followed by pulp mill trials in a CANFOR mill.