It is necessary to address numerous issues at various stages of the value chain to establish a circular economy model for the European fiberboard industry. This article will outline three major issues in this post, along with EcoReFibre’s efforts to address them: 1. Sorting, 2. Supply, and 3. Fibre Processing
Sorting is the first challenge
Fibreboards are misclassified and improperly disposed of in a variety of waste streams, including municipal waste or even landfills, after their consumer journey, due to inadequate collection and sorting procedures and low public awareness. In addition to making recycling more difficult, this also means that precious resources that could be used again in the production cycle are lost.
By creating and implementing groundbreaking sorting technologies, EcoReFibre tackles these problems and guarantees that fibreboards are precisely identified and isolated from other materials. Circularity in fibreboard production is hampered by the fact that only highly pure fibreboard can be recycled. EcoReFibre makes it possible to recover post-consumer fibreboard efficiently while maintaining the quality required for its reintroduction into the material loop.
Second challenge: Supply
There are more than just practical issues with the geographic distance between rural fibreboard manufacturing operations and urban wood waste accumulation sites. Long-distance transportation increases greenhouse gas emissions, prices, and fuel consumption, making recycling less viable from an economic and environmental standpoint.
EcoReFibre assesses the cost-effectiveness and environmental and economic effects of the post-consumer fibreboard supply, making sure that the recently developed circular economy models are beneficial from an economic and environmental standpoint.
Third challenge: Processing of Fibre
It takes more than merely grinding down fibreboards to recycle them effectively because they include a mixture of glue and wood fibres and are frequently adorned with coatings and additives, such as fire retardants, that improve the board’s characteristics and durability. When sorting, advanced material extraction techniques must ensure that the wood fibres stay as intact as feasible.
In order to treat these composite materials, EcoReFibre is creating and evaluating several extraction technologies. In particular, five industrial pilot projects have been started to test and evaluate modified processes, such as refinement, as well as new techniques. In order to produce new fibreboards, particleboards, insulation boards, and bio-composites, the pilots seek to recover 95% pure fibers and particles.
Connectivity throughout the whole value chain
How are these issues addressed by EcoReFibre? A network of 20 partners from throughout Europe has been assembled by EcoReFibre to create all-encompassing solutions for each of these issues. The cooperation of several industries along the whole value chain is what makes the project strong. To develop a novel circular economy model for the post-consumer fibreboard sector in Europe, EcoReFibre’s distinctive core attribute is this methodology.
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