An Innovative Circular Solution for Waste MDF

每年生产超过8000万吨大麻，仅英国就消耗超过100万吨。在过去20年里，供应到家具、工作服和零售业的木材数量急剧增加。因此，我们现在看到大量的废弃物进入供应链，估计英国每年有60万吨（所有木材废弃物中有15%被认为是基于木材的，木材回收协会指出，英国每年产生400万吨废弃木材）。与其他木材废弃物不同，目前没有木材被回收。对于这样一个常用的产品来说，这显然是不可持续的。MDFR是一家英国技术企业，它开发了一种工艺，可以分解将刨花板粘合在一起的胶水，释放出其中的高质量木纤维，而不会损坏它们。该项目将探索如何将这项技术扩大到工业规模，并将对从该过程中回收的纤维进行测试，并与建筑行业的潜在客户进行试验，特别是活跃在不断增长的场外模块化面板领域的企业。一个松散的纤维绝缘产品将产生，从天然纤维原料来源，目前还不存在。这个项目是MDFR和其工业合作伙伴-普氏农业之间的合作。普氏是一家成功的制造企业，也是动物床上用品市场的领导者。普氏能源从其现有的供应商网络中获得大量的废弃物，并寻求为这些材料增值。普氏能源将在其弗雷克瑟姆总部设立示范工厂，并与MDFR合作，证明这种创新的“循环”方法在技术和经济上的可行性。长期目标是将该技术推向商业规模，生产和销售一种新型的可持续天然纤维绝缘材料。这种松散的填充产品将被“吹”到阁楼空间和墙板中，以改善新建和现有建筑的热性能-在冬季保持温暖，更重要的是，在夏季保持凉爽。

Over 80 million tonnes of MDF are produced every year with over 1 million tonnes being consumed in the UK alone. The volumes of MDF supplied into the furniture, joinery and retail sectors have increased dramatically in the last 20 years. As such, we are now seeing huge volumes of waste MDF enter the supply chain, estimated to be in the region of 600k tonnes per year in the UK (15% of all wood waste is thought to be MDF based and the Wood Recyclers Association states that 4 million tonnes of waste wood are produced yearly in the UK).Unlike other wood waste streams, no MDF is currently recycled. This is clearly unsustainable for such a commonly used product. MDF Recovery (MDFR) is a UK technology business that has developed a process which can break down the glue bonds holding MDF boards together, freeing up the high-quality wood fibres within without damaging them. This project will explore how this technology might be scaled up to be demonstrated at an industrially relevant scale.The fibres recovered from the process will be tested and used in trials with potential customers from the construction sector, particularly businesses that are active in the growing offsite, modular panel sector. A loose fibre insulation product will result, created from a natural fibre raw material source that doesn't currently exist.This project is a collaboration between MDFR and its industrial partner - Platts Agriculture. Platts is a successful manufacturing business and a market leader in the animal bedding market. Platts has access to large volumes of waste MDF from its existing supplier network and seeks to add value to this material. Platts will host the demonstration plant at its headquarters in Wrexham and work with MDFR to prove the technical and economic viability of this innovative 'circular' approach.The longer-term goal is to roll out the technology at commercial scale, producing and marketing a novel and sustainable source of natural fibre insulation. This loose fill product will be 'blown' into loft spaces and wall panels to improve the thermal performance of new and existing buildings - keeping them warm in the winter and, importantly, cool in the summer.