19 May, 2011
Sodra Cell said that it will begin producing and selling DuraPulp – a biodegradable composite material made of 100% renewable fibers – at its Varo pulp mill in Sweden. Production is scheduled to start after the summer.
“DuraPulp is a material that is making a very timely appearance. It can replace plastics in many applications but it has the distinct advantage of being biodegradable. The time is right to begin producing and selling this material,” said Henrik Wettergren, Business Area Manager for Printing Paper and Specialities.
Initially, sales of DuraPulp will focus on the business areas of speciality paper, design and board, Sodra said.
According to Sodra, DuraPulp is the result of many years of research and was produced by Södra together with the research and development company Innventia. The starting point for the research included the idea of creating a new fibre-based material that would be renewable and biodegradable.
DuraPulp is a composite material made of specially selected pulp from Sodra Cell combined with a renewable biopolymer. Following additional processing, these two components take on special properties such as humidity resistance, tensile strength and rigidity.
The use of DuraPulp was first demonstrated at the Milan Furniture Fair in 2009 through the children’s chair, Parupu, which was developed by the Stockholm design firm, Claesson Koivisto Rune. The firm has also created the lamp w101 made of DuraPulp that is now being sold by the lighting company, Wästberg.
Sodra Cell’s Varo Mill produces 400,000 tons per year of high quality totally chlorine-free softwood pulp.