Birla Cellulose Completes First Pilot Spin of Lyocell Fibres Containing Nanollose’s Microbial Cellulose

Birla Cellulose has completed the first pilot scale spin of an eco-friendly next generation lyocell fibre containing 20% microbial cellulose Nullarbor-20.

Long Story, Cut Short
  • Nullarbor-20 further enhances the sustainability quotient of lyocell by using Nanollose’s tree-free cellulose made from fermentation of food industry waste.
  • The pilot plant run demonstrates potential for making lyocell fibre from microbial cellulose using existing industrial equipment.
  • Birla Cellulose and Nanollose are now well positioned to begin supply samples of Nullarbor – 20TM to fashion and textile companies.
In January 2021, Birla Cellulose had filed a joint patent application with Nanollose Limited for a high tenacity lyocell fibre made from bacterial cellulose.
Very Tenacious In January 2021, Birla Cellulose had filed a joint patent application with Nanollose Limited for a high tenacity lyocell fibre made from bacterial cellulose. Nanollose Limited

Birla Cellulose has completed the first pilot scale spin of an eco-friendly next generation lyocell fibre containing 20% microbial cellulose Nullarbor-20

  • The first pilot spin to produce 250 kg of the forest-friendly lyocell fibre marks a significant milestone in the commercialisation of this technology that uses a sustainable biomass produced from fermentation of food industry waste.

The Technology: The fibres produced maintain all superior attributes of Birla Excel (lyocell) such as comfort, strength, durability and moisture absorption while further enhancing the sustainability quotient by using Nanollose’s microbial cellulose that reduces pressure on virgin wood-based pulp.

  • The completion of pilot spin, Birla Cellulose claimed, demonstrates the potential for making this forest-friendly fibre using its existing manufacturing setups and augurs well for the potential commercialisation of the technology. 
  • Birla Cellulose and Nanollose can soon begin supplying renowned fashion and textile companies with initial samples of this innovative and eco-friendly lyocell fibre.
  • The target is to increase the scale and/or percentage of microbial cellulose in subsequent pilot spins. 
  • This will allow Birla Cellulose to produce quantities of several Nullarbor fibres consisting of varied percentages of tree-free microbial cellulose, mixed with other cellulosic materials.
  • Completion of the pilot scale spin process follows months of extensive work, including overcoming challenges associated with scaling production from laboratory to industrial grade processing across multiple continents. 
  • This included the procurement of microbial cellulose at carefully defined specifications, establishment of quality control and optimisation procedures, experimentation of drying and purification methods, and the exchange of technical information between Nanollose, its contract researchers and Birla’s technical team in relation to the fibre spinning process.

What They Said:

Developing the state of art technology for industrial scale lyocell production, using tree-free cellulose, is an exciting development in the area of next generation alternative feedstock. We are looking forward to scaling up this technology in collaboration with Nanollose.

Aspi Patel
Chairman
Birla Cellulose

The completion of our first pilot spin is a significant milestone in the Company’s development and provides clear proof of concept of our offering at scale. This milestone provides Nanollose with a strong growth foundation for the next 12 months.

Wayne Best
Executive Chairman 
Nanollose Limited

 
 
  • Dated posted: 22 March 2023
  • Last modified: 22 March 2023