Nanocellulose was in the spotlight last week during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) highlighted work done at the University of Maine to support the forest economy and biobased industries, and emphasized the need for research and development institutions across the country to work together in support of American manufacturing and other home-grown industries.
“One of the most important areas [of research] is nanocellulose technology. We have a goldmine of fiber in Maine, which historically has been used to make paper, [but] the paper industry has been brutally hammered in the last five or six years,” said Senator King. “We need a George Washington Carver of fiber – I remember from the sixth grade that George Washington Carver was the scientist who figured out a hundred ways to use peanuts. We need that kind of research [on uses of forest fiber].”
The Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) and the University of Maine have partnered on nanocellulose research for several years. In 2013, a nanocellulose pilot plant was constructed at the University of Maine through a joint venture with the U.S. Forest Service. The plant has the capacity to produce one ton of cellulose nanofibrils per day.
The University of Maine is part of a consortium of universities and non-profits led by FPL who work together to improve methods of isolating nanomaterials, characterize and develop standards for various grades of nanocellulose, and support emerging markets for products made from wood-derived renewable nanomaterials.