Project award for MDF recycling technology

Project award

Nviro Cleantech plc, a cleantech commercialisation company, has said its patented Microrelease technology has been selected by the UK Waste and Resources Action Programme for a £300,000 project to prove the viability of recycling medium density fibreboard (MDF).

Currently, most waste MDF is landfilled at great economic and environmental cost to its primary users in the furniture manufacturing, shopfitting and construction industries. Microrelease secured the contract in partnership with the UK Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA).

Nviro says Microrelease can be used to recycle the constituent wood fibres of MDF, for use as industrial fillers and wood plastic composites.

MDF is considered to be one of the most problematic industry waste streams, as its finished form is a tight matrix of wood fibres, laminates and formaldehyde-based adhesive binders. Disposal costs are increasing as regulations on the disposal of hazardous chemicals contained within the binding agents are tightened, and landfill taxes are increased to encourage recyling.

Nviro Cleantech has worked with the University of Wales Bio-composites Centre at Bangor and FIRA to commercialise the Microrelease technology. Initial stages of development were funded with a grant from the UK Department of Trade and Industry.

Chris Every, Chief Executive Officer of Nviro Cleantech, said, “[The programme’s] selection of Microelease through the FIRA bid will not only inject significant funds to upscale the technology to a commercial level, but will also be of huge reassurance to potential customers and supply chain partners.”