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
