Nanollose Ltd (ASX:NC6) has dispatched the first shipment of refined microbial cellulose (MC) to Birla Cellulose’s pilot facilities in India for further processing and testing prior to being blended with other cellulosic feedstock and spun into lyocell fibre.
As Nanollose progresses through the staged scale-up to 100% tree-free fibres, the collaboration with Birla Cellulose will produce pilot-scale quantities of a range of lyocell fibres with increasing percentages of MC blended with other cellulosic materials such as wood pulp.
The production of blended fibres is a common strategy in the fibre and textile industries, and an expanded product range of blended and 100% tree-free fibres will enable the company to appeal to customers at different price points, thereby broadening NC6’s addressable market.
Key step in commercialisation process
This first pilot fibre spin is an important step in the commercialisation process as it will allow Nanollose to refine the processing of its MC to generate the consistency and specifications expected for commercial fibre production.
It will also produce fibre to generate samples for potential partners in the fashion and textiles industries, in addition to providing valuable technical information about the production process, which will be further refined as the company increases production scale.
“Exciting time for company”
Executive chairman Dr Wayne Best said: “We are very pleased to have dispatched the first shipment of microbial cellulose to Birla Cellulose, as it signifies the beginning of our work at Birla’s pilot facility.
“With this microbial cellulose in hand, the team at Birla Cellulose can begin further testing and processing of the material prior to commencing the actual 'spinning' of the fibre.
“It’s an exciting time for the company as we eagerly await our first opportunity to access sufficient quality and quantity of fibre to provide samples to potential partners.”
Shipment preparations underway
Nanollose has a stock of around 1.5 tonnes of crude MC (on a dry weight basis) stored in China, with preparations underway to ship quantities of this material to contractors in India and Australia to commence purification trials on a pilot scale.
In January 2020, Nanollose filed a joint patent application with Grasim Industries Limited for a high tenacity lyocell fibre made from microbial cellulose.
The patent application, entitled ‘High Tenacity Lyocell Fibres From Bacterial Cellulose and Method of Preparation Thereof’ represents a major advancement over the company's previous viscose versions of nullarbor™ and nufolium™.
Using the lyocell process, a team of fibre experts at Grasim's Pulp and Fibre Innovation Centre have produced nullarbor™ fibre that is finer than silk and significantly stronger than conventional lyocell that is traditionally produced from wood pulp.
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