Driven by the demand for high-performance carbon fiber materials in transportation, construction and power generation, Storaenso Group and Cordenka recently signed a joint development agreement to jointly promote the development of precursors for bio-based carbon fiber.
Storaenso has been devoted to the research and development of carbon fiber based on wood. It uses lab pulp and lignin as raw materials to produce carbon fiber. Now it has a laboratory scale. Cordenka is the world's leading manufacturer of high-end industrial rayon. This strong alliance aims to upgrade the development of carbon fiber precursors to a pilot scale.
Precursor development work is carried out on the professional manufacturing spinning equipment of Cordenka's production site in Obernburg, Germany. The project is supported by Cordenka's owner, Boundary Capital (BMC), and is a strategic component of Cordenka's entry into emerging markets and Asian markets.
Markus Mannström, head of the Storaenso Biomass Materials Division, said: "We are very pleased to work with Cordenka to develop bio-based carbon fibers that replace petroleum-based raw materials. Our goal is to use renewable and non-fossil materials as raw materials for the industry Composite material producers provide sustainable carbon fiber with cost competitiveness. We will further realize Storaenso's vision of building a low-carbon society. At the same time, we are also looking forward to attracting more partners downstream in the value chain, such as carbon fiber companies. "
Kurt Uihlein, Chief Marketing Officer of Cordenka, said: "Storaenso and Cordenka are a perfect match. Storaenso has developed a number of important new technologies, and Cordenka has key expertise in manufacturing. For decades, the two companies have been using renewable resources Products, and both parties are market leaders in their respective fields. The use of wood-based raw materials to manufacture carbon fiber precursors for reinforced composite materials represents a major leap forward in the field of materials science. "
The demand for carbon fiber is steadily increasing at a rate of 10% per year. This collaboration will develop carbon fibers suitable for related industrial applications to meet the demand for lightweight carbon fibers with high mechanical properties, such as pultruded laminates used to manufacture wind turbine blades. Currently, 20% of global carbon fiber products are used in the wind energy industry.
Currently, carbon fiber is mostly made from petroleum-based raw material PAN (polyacrylonitrile), while bio-based carbon fiber is made from cellulose and lignin from trees. In the production process of bio-based carbon fiber, cellulose is converted into viscose fiber and mixed with lignin to form a spinning dope. The raw solution is woven into precursor fibers, which are then converted into carbon fibers through a thermal conversion process.