Recycling of MDF waste is step closer to reality
17 January 2017A company set up to develop “the world’s first ever technology to recycle MDF waste” says it has moved a step closer to reality following the conclusion of successful proof of concept trials.
MDF Recovery said the trials success to develop a commercially viable process to recover wood fibre from waste MDF was the culmination of six years’ research and development.
The company said it was now ready to take the proprietary technology to the commercial market and offer the “first alternative” to the use of landfill or burning to dispose of MDF. Britain, alone, disposes of around 350,000 tonnes of MDF each year.
reduces the demand on standing forests. Makers of MDF board, insulation products and horticultural growing products are target markets.
“We have already begun discussions with a number of leading companies and organisations operating in the MDF production and waste industries and look forward to progressing these during the early part of The solution is designed to generate a new raw material source for the wood/natural fibre industry that 2017,” said co-founder and managing director of MDF Recovery Craig Bartlett.
Mr Bartlett said the technology could also process industrial and commercial forms of MDF waste, allowing manufacturers to take back material from their customers – a so called ‘closed loop’ solution.”
It is estimated that between 30,000 and 60,000 tons of MDF waste could be recycled by MDF Recovery each year in the UK and almost 3 million tons globally.
The business has to date been funded via a mix of UK and Welsh government, angel investor and industrial funding.
Before establishing MDF Recovery with co-founder Jim New, Mr Bartlett worked as Head of Research & Consultancy at the UK Furniture Industry Research Association (FIRA).
MDF Recovery has set up an advisory panel to help it commercialise the company’s technology.
The panel includes Geoff Rhodes, a former president of the Timber Trade Federation (TTF), the European Association of MDF Manufacturers (EMB) and the Fibre Building Board Federation (FIDOR).
Other advisory panel members include Dr Knut Kappenberg, Dr Rob Elias and Ray Howard.
Dr Kappenberg has over 20 years’ experience within R&D, innovation management and technology transfer roles including seven years as Global R&D manager at Sonae Industria.
Dr Elias is the director of the BioComposites Centre (BC) at Bangor University.
Dr Howard is a businessman with over 40 years’ experience, mainly within manufacturing and related sectors including MDF.
