Public Funding for MDF Recovery Limited

Over 80 million tonnes of MDF are produced every year with over 1 million tonnes being consumed in the UK alone. The volumes of MDF supplied into the furniture, joinery and retail sectors have increased dramatically in the last 20 years. As such, we are now seeing huge volumes of waste MDF enter the supply chain, estimated to be in the region of 600k tonnes per year in the UK (15% of all wood waste is thought to be MDF based and the Wood Recyclers Association states that 4 million tonnes of waste wood are produced yearly in the UK). Unlike other wood waste streams, no MDF is currently recycled. This is clearly unsustainable for such a commonly used product. MDF Recovery (MDFR) is a UK technology business that has developed a process which can break down the glue bonds holding MDF boards together, freeing up the high-quality wood fibres within without damaging them. This project will explore how this technology might be scaled up to be demonstrated at an industrially relevant scale. The fibres recovered from the process will be tested and used in trials with potential customers from the construction sector, particularly businesses that are active in the growing offsite, modular panel sector. A loose fibre insulation product will result, created from a natural fibre raw material source that doesn't currently exist. This project is a collaboration between MDFR and its industrial partner - Platts Agriculture. Platts is a successful manufacturing business and a market leader in the animal bedding market. Platts has access to large volumes of waste MDF from its existing supplier network and seeks to add value to this material. Platts will host the demonstration plant at its headquarters in Wrexham and work with MDFR to prove the technical and economic viability of this innovative 'circular' approach. The longer-term goal is to roll out the technology at commercial scale, producing and marketing a novel and sustainable source of natural fibre insulation. This loose fill product will be 'blown' into loft spaces and wall panels to improve the thermal performance of new and existing buildings - keeping them warm in the winter and, importantly, cool in the summer.

MDF Recovery (MDFR) is an innovative UK micro-company that has developed the world's first continuous process that recycles medium density fibreboard (MDF). MDF is a material found in every home, office, and retail environment. Despite its popularity, it is considered unrecyclable. MDFR's solution economically recovers wood fibres from recycled MDF, creating a circular, sustainable, low-cost, raw material for re-use. As MDF is produced and used in almost all global territories, it is important that MDFR exploits its technology overseas in addition to the UK market. This increases export revenues for the UK economy and enhances the reputation of the UK as a centre of excellence for R&D. This project will focus on establishing the potential for creating networks for R&D and technology development in Turkey, the world's second largest producer of MDF. It will explore opportunities for collaboration within the entire MDF supply chain and feed into MDFR's future exploitation planning. Lessons learned might also support similar activity in other territories. The goal is to establish MDFR as the world's leading supplier of technology solutions for the MDF recycling sector.

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"The ambition of this project is significant. MDF has been produced since the 1960s and yet it remains the only wood based product that is currently unrecyclable. The most sustainable outcome for the UK's estimated circa 400k tons p.a. of MDF waste today is incineration with energy recovery. However, MDF Recovery is a transformational technology that converts a costly and problematic waste stream into a high value natural fibre raw material. This project is also highly ambitious in that it seeks to introduce an innovative approach that supports the concept of circularity in relation to the treatment of MDF at the end of its first user life. A succesful outcome to this project would result in full validation of the MDFR technology in a commercial environment. The demand for the technology is apparent, both in the UK and further afield. The deliverables produced during this work would allow for rapid uptake and exploitation of the technology in the UK. The last remaining technical and commercial barriers would be overcome and the world's first commercial scale recycling of medium density fibreboard would take place in the UK by 2021\."

This project seeks to disrupt the existing life-cycle of medium density fibreboard. It will develop a technology that will be capable of recovering high value wood fibres from a waste stream that is still often landfilled or incinerated. It will pursue a closed loop agenda, making available industrial products made from the recovered fibres. The impacts along the supply chain will be evaluated and mapped with new systems designed for the recovery, segregation and utilisation of these products and processes.

Enhancing the value of reclaimed wood fibres via the alteration of their physical and chemical properties.