The EcoReFibre European-Union funded project to enhance the recyclability and reduce the carbon footprint of fibreboard has been continuing apace as it nears the end of its term.
EcoReFibre, funded by Horizon Europe (May 2022 – April 2026), explores smart technologies to recycle post-consumer waste wood back into fibreboards and into novel building products. Project partners include wood-based panels producers, machinery and plant specialists, and research institutions.
EcoReFibre aims to increase available wood resources in Europe through recycling. The ambition is to substitute up to 25% of the virgin fibres currently used in the European fibreboard market. The project demonstrates how this upscaling of circular technologies can become possible.
The recycling of fibreboards into new fibreboards is right now being upscaled to full industrial level – after years of research in the lab, with EcoReFibre playing an important role in this process of innovation and implementation.
Advanced methods for fibre extraction from post-consumer fibreboard and an AI-supported sorting line for waste wood have been developed and demonstrated as part of the project. And for the first time, data on fibreboard waste volumes in Europe have been modelled. The free-access model is interactive and can be used to predict fibreboard waste volumes from 1995 – 2050.
A number of project webinars, attendance at LIGNA and at a technology showcase at project partner Dieffenbacher has completed a flurry of activity this year.
At the end of April, Dieffenbacher’s showcase of the innovative Fiber2Fiber fibreboard recycling process was a particular highlight.
Meeting at Dieffenbacher headquarters in Eppingen, the showcase was a chance to review progress and plan next steps toward developing processes for recycling end-oflife fibreboards and using recycled wood fibres to produce new fibreboards.
Partners saw a demonstration of the company’s process for using steam to extract fibres from post-consumer fibreboard chips and its system for cleaning.
During the meeting, Dieffenbacher presented the two key steps of its Fiber2Fiber fibre preparation process.
“With a throughput of more than 1,200 kg/h, our Fiber2Fiber process has exceeded the ambitious process target of 500 kg/h,” said Michael Rupp, who leads Dieffenbacher’s Recycling Business Unit.
“This makes us optimistic that the EcoReFibre project will achieve its goals next year, giving an enormous boost to fibreboard recycling on an industrial scale,” he continued.
“We are delighted that so many of our EcoReFibre partner companies and institutions, including project manager Stergios Adamopoulos from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, the consortium leader of the research project, accepted our invitation,” said Mr Rupp. “My team and I are proud that our demonstration moved the EcoReFibre project closer to its goals.”
