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Backing for MDF recycling

A company that is developing a world-first technology to recycle MDF waste has received a £250,000 investment from one of the UK’s leading waste management firms.

Suez Recycling & Recovery UK is backing the development of MDF Recovery’s medium density fibreboard recycling technology.

MDF Recovery recently concluded proof of concept trials to develop a commercially viable process to recover wood fibre from used or off-cuts of MDF to offer the first ever alternative to landfilling or incinerating MDF as part of an energy recovery solution for left-over MDF. S

upport the next stage of growth as the business takes its proprietary technology to the commercial market after more than six years of research and development.

MDF as a material was first introduced in the 1970s and today more than 50 million tonnes are produced globally every year, servicing the furniture, construction and DIY markets.

MDF Recovery co-founder and managing director Craig Bartlett said: “The Suez investment provides a significant boost to MDF Recovery in our quest to commercialise the technology to make single-use MDF a thing of the past. The recovered fibre produced by the process is of the same high quality as fibre obtained from virgin wood and can be used as a direct substitute in the manufacturing process. The timing of the Suez investment is perfect as we are already in discussions with a number of potential customers and partners within industry who recognise the significance of what we are doing. The MDF Recovery technology can be retro-fitted or designed into new plants and offers a robust solution for reworking waste and increasing the yield at the MDF manufacturing facility.”

Suez technical development director Stuart Hayward-Higham said: “The technology should literally give a new prolonged shelf-life for MDF, one of the most popular materials across the construction and furniture industry from large scale commercial projects to the army of shelf-fitters and DIY carpenters up and down the country. Zero waste production for the wood component of MDF is now a real possibility.”

 

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BDC 315 : Apr 2024