Advanced
materials from nanocellulose
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Roadmap 2015 to 2025
Materials from nanocellulose
Nanocellulose from wood fibres provides a new material platform for a sustainable production of
a wide range of high-performance products such as composites and packaging, rheology
modifiers, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, as well as towards applications in the information
and communications sector. The use of nanocellulose in different industries is expected to grow
significantly due to an increased demand for sustainability. This roadmap intends to show how
this can be made possible in a period of ten years.
The overall target is to have established a platform for large-scale demonstration of the manufacturing of
sustainable nanocellulose-based materials from Swedish forest resources by the year 2025.
By 2018:
Establishment of common technology platforms including necessary testbeds at
the RISE institutes in close collaboration with the academy to assure an efficient
knowledge transfer between academy and the RISE institutes
By 2020:
Establishment of pilot facilitates for the development and demonstration of
manufacturing processes in close collaboration with industry to assure an
efficient knowledge transfer between industry and the RISE institutes
By 2025:
Production of nanocellulose based high-performance materials and products.
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Background
Nanocellulose is the structural building block of plants and is a result of a natural synthesis process that is
not entirely understood.
The properties of nanocellulose, as a material component, not only depend on its origin but also the
production process. This roadmap focuses on nanocellulose originating from trees, specifically cellulose
nanofibrils (CNF) and cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) since the pilot and commercial production facilities
are planned or already in place in Sweden.
The concept of the bio-based economy is today established, and large investments for supporting the
development of the bio-based economy are included in Horizon 2020 as well as in the national strategic
innovation program BioInnovation.
Due to declining demand for printing paper products and an increasing global competition the Swedish
forest industry faces significant challenges. There is an urgent need for new value-added products as a
means to stay competitive.
Nanocellulose is seen as a means to develop the Swedish forest-based industry and nanocellulose have
potential applications related to a wide range of societal and industrial needs.
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Within the packaging industry, there is a trend towards sustainable lightweight packaging
combined with a demand for biodegradable materials, particularly for food packaging
applications. These demands are partly driven by legislation, e.g. to even ban non-biodegradable
plastic materials.
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Within the information and communication industry, there is constant need for enhanced and
new functionalities through new materials.
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Within the automotive industry, there is a constant need to develop new materials that
contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the reduced weight of the
vehicles, as well as new materials that can be recycled.

Within the building industry, there is a need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, either by an
increased use of bio-based, recyclable and lightweight building materials or by decreasing the
energy consumption during the lifetime of a building by the use of novel materials with improved
insulation properties.
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Within industries relying on formulations, such as the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics,
pulp & paper and food industries, there is a large incentive for bio-based, recyclable and safe
products.
Today´s commercial situation for Nanocellulose
Cellulose nanofibrils can be produced by disintegration of wood fibres by the application of mechanical
shear and/or pressure before and/or after a chemical or enzymatic treatment. Today cellulose nanofibrils
are produced on an industrial scale for commercial applications by for example StoraEnso and UPM. A
recent announcement of an investment in an industrial scale facility for commercial applications has been
made by Borregaard.
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In terms of pilot-scale facilities, there are today more than a dozen pilots, primarily in USA/Canada,
Europe and Japan, all erected after Innventia inaugurated their pilot facility for the production of cellulose
nanofibrils 2011.
Cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) are different from cellulose nanofibrils, as an example it can form liquid
crystalline dispersions. Cellulose nanocrystals are typically produced by acidic hydrolysis of cellulose
fibrils and gives high transparency. The chemical production process gives a lower yield and has a
demanding chemical recovery cycle.
Today Cellulose nanocrystals are produced in industrial scale for pre-commercial development by
Celluforce Inc. in Quebec, a Canadian company linked to Domtar and FPInnovations and at American
Process Inc. in the US.
SEM image of CNC, Majoinen, Kontturi, Ikkala and
Gray, Cellulose (2012) 19:1599-1605.
Image of a CNF gel.
Possible commercial applications using nanocellulose have been developed to very different degrees and
several are in a pre-commercial stage. Within the papermaking industry cellulose nanofibrils are today
used to make lighter and stronger paper and paperboard products.
Potential future applications
There are several potential markets for nanocellulose based materials, where envisaged applications
include low-end large-scale commodity applications in the pulp and paper sector (strength additives and
barrier/coating applications), mid-range applications (food additives and structural materials) and highend applications (substrates for printed electronics and batteries). These applications have different
demands on the nanocellulose and, hence, require different process designs.
Barriers for food packaging The packaging industry faces an increasing demand for cost-effective biodegradable materials for
packaging applications, particularly for food packaging. Nanocellulose can be used to make films or to
coat packaging materials to provide biodegradable barriers with adequate oxygen permeability and
protection against grease penetration.
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Flexible electronics The information and communication industry
faces an increasing demand for printed electronics,
solar cells, OLEDS, transistors and other electronic
components requires new types of thin polymer
films which can be used in roll-to-roll production.
Nanocellulose can provide films that have high
strength, nano-scale smoothness, optical
transparency, low coefficient of thermal expansion
but the films are sensitive to moisture.
Image of a CNF film.
Moulded composites The automotive industry has a never-ending need to develop stronger lightweight vehicles and an
important part of this is to develop injection moulded components that are lighter than today and
preferably recyclable. Nanocellulose has the potential to be used to manufacture reinforced injectionmoulded composites having significantly improved mechanical properties.
Transparent composites The information and communication industry, the building industry and the automotive industry all
have a demand for lightweight transparent materials with good thermal stability. Nanocellulose can be
used as reinforcement in transparent composites due to the size of the fibrils and crystals. The
nanocellulose can also be surface modified by e.g. grafting to provide a wide range of additional
functionalities.
Insulation materials The building industry is facing an imminent need to mitigate from expanded polystyrene foams for
insulation applications due to environmental concerns. In the form of aerogels or reinforced foams
nanocellulose has the potential to provide a biobased and biodegradable alternative by providing excellent
mechanical structural integrity as well as excellent thermal and sound insulation properties. Structural materials in buildings The building industry has a need to develop new concepts for improving the building process as well as
to reduce the transportation need of material. Nanocellulose in the form of cellulose nanocrystals can be
used as a so called superplasticizer in cement allowing it to be produced, transported and pumped at
higher solids content and with more uniform particle distribution, which also leads to a stronger material.
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Technical fibres The automotive industry needs to develop high performance structural materials at the lowest possible
weight, which today is achieved using composites reinforced with woven fabrics. Today it is possible to
spin continuous strong and stiff fibres directly from nanocellulose suspensions, which could be used as a
biodegradable alternative to today’s woven reinforcement fabrics.
Rheology modifiers and hydrogels The industries relying on formulations have a need for bio-based alternatives as well as to develop
products with improved or new properties. Nanocellulose offers unique properties in hydrogels,
thickeners and various other formulation applications. Specific product examples could be food additives,
wound dressing and lotions. Compared to cellulosic derivatives now commonly used in the area of
thickeners, nanocellulose can be more cost efficient and introduce new properties.
Challenges There is a set of challenges that needs to be addressed as a part of the development of nanocellulosic
materials. The moisture sensitivity of nanocellulosic materials must be alleviated if nanocellulose should
have a significant role in packaging materials as well as in many high-end applications. Furthermore, the
high aspect ratio of the fibrils makes nanocellulose a gel already at low concentrations. The capacity to
remove water while manufacturing different material components will be a challenge in many
applications as well as the dispersion, which will be a challenge, particularly when used in composite
applications. Basic research is imperative to identify solutions and new research and development
infrastructure will be needed. The technology platforms for the economically efficient production of
films, aerogels and filaments are today lacking.
Current and future technology development at the RISE-institutes
Production of CNF in pilot scale
TRL 6
Production of CNC in pilot scale
TRL 4
Technologies for development of films
TRL 3
Technologies for spinning of
nanofibrillated cellulose
TRL 2
Technologies for development of
nanocellulose-based composites
TRL 4
Technologies for development of
nanocellulose based aerogels
TRL 2
Technologies for formulations
TRL4
TRL stands for Technology Readiness Level which is an indication of the technology matureness, low number
indicates a low matureness.
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Production of cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) In recent years Innventia has received considerable attention for its activities in the field of nanocellulosebased materials. For example, Innventia was first to operate a pilot plant for production of cellulose
nanofibrils (CNF). Today it possesses several base patents for production and utilization of nanocellulose
materials in different industrial applications. Innventia has the capability of producing cellulose
nanofibrils from a wide range of sources, and also the know-how of functionalizing the nanocellulose.
Innventia are developing and tailoring new qualities suitable for different applications.
Production of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) SP presently invests in a pilot facility for the production of cellulose nanocrystals together with an
industrial consortium. The facility will be located close to SP’s facilities in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The
overall aim of his facility is to provide tailor-made cellulose nanocrystals for projects at a wide range of
Technology Readiness Levels in such quantities and given specified qualities to allow relevant
prototyping and testing in various fields of application. The facility will be flexible enough to allow
development of both process and application oriented projects. The commissioning of the facility is
planned to take place first half of 2016.
Transparent films for barriers and flexible electronics There are several different routes for the manufacturing of nanocellulose based films. The choice of
production process will influence the final properties of the film. Innventia are currently working together
with several industrial companies to identify and implement technologies for pre-pilot production of
nanocellulose based films. The development of a test bed that allows a flexible manufacturing and
evaluation of different types of nanocellulose-based films would be a crucial step towards
commercialisation.
Spinning of nanofibrillated cellulose The technical possibility to spin fibres directly from nanofibrillated cellulose has been shown at several
locations around the world. One process that stands out in terms of achieving high mechanical
performance is hydrodynamic alignment by flow focusing concept. A consortium of RISE-institutes,
industry and a university (KTH) is currently working together in a project with the aim to scale-up the
technology. A crucial step that significantly would facilitate scale-up and enable a critical evaluation is
an open test bed for production of filaments from nanofibrillated cellulose within the RISE group. Processes for nanocellulose‐based composites The field of biobased composites is a focus area at Swerea. Swereas main role is to evaluate and improve
processing capabilities as well as to evaluate and improve composite properties of these materials in order
to lower the barriers for market entry of these materials. One area of special importance for the biobased
materials is durability and the long-term properties. Special methods have been developed in order to be
able to evaluate and predict these properties. In addition, Swerea has an extruder with following injection
moulding equipment that can be used for the purpose of developing CNF reinforced composites.
Innventia is exploring the field of composites reinforced with cellulose nanofibrils. In order to utilize the
full potential of nanocellulose as reinforcement the technology for dispersion of cellulose nanofibrils in
the composite matrixes needs to be developed. Innventia has an extruder with injection moulding
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equipment that together with the cellulose nanofibril material produced at the pilot production unit can be
adopted for the purpose of developing CNF reinforced composites.
Nanocellulose‐based aerogels Aerogels are highly porous materials that can have very low densities, high surface areas, low thermal
transport and have the potential to be engineered into a wide variety of application for insulation,
cushioning materials etc. A potentially large-scale application is to replace expanded polystyrene (EPS)
foams with biodegradable foams.
Innventia is exploring possibilities for producing biodegradable aerogels, in a cost-competitive manner,
based solely on nanocellulose or with nanocellulose as a reinforcing agent. One approach that is deemed
viable and that is studied in more detail is to foam a biodegradable thermoplastic that has been reinforced
with nanocellulose. Formulations New technologies are needed to enable a wide-spread use of nanocellulose in the formulation area.
Technologies that are of importance are wet and dry surface modification techniques such as adsorption,
chemical reactions or plasma, emulsification and dispersion, particle engineering etc. Most of these
technologies and corresponding state-of-the-art instrumentation is available at the RISE-institutes.
Efforts needed to reach the targets
Innventia was the first company in the world to establish manufacturing of nanocellulose in larger scale.
This step was possible thanks to long-term research funding from industrial and public stakeholders. The
access to a large volume production of nanocellulose under the same roof as a pilot paper machine made
it possible to demonstrate the use of nanocellulose as a property enhancer for the manufacturing of paper
and paperboard, and it is also as such it is used industrially today. For most other applications, the time to
market is still considered to be long, and it should be noted that for these applications neither the
necessary knowledge nor the infrastructure is in place.
To promote the commercial introduction of new and exciting high-performance materials and products
made from nanocellulose, a continued investment in basic research, as well as a strong industry
involvement supporting scale-up activities, is needed. Significant financial resources will also be needed
since new materials typically imply new processes, which in turn imply a need for testbeds and
demonstration facilities. By having these facilities in place, Sweden can maintain a strong position with
respect to the development of future nanocellulosic materials.
Sources
1. Shatkin, J. A., et al. (2014). "Market projections of cellulose nanomaterial-enabled products-Part 1:
Applications." Tappi Journal 13(5): 9-16.
2. Shatkin, J. A., et al. (2014). "Market projections of cellulose nanomaterial-enabled products-Part 2:
Volume estimates." Tappi Journal 13(6): 57-69.
3. Markets and Markets. "Nanocellulose market – Regional trends & Forecast to 2019." Chemicals &
materials CH3320 (2015).
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Contacts
Main contact
Anna Wiberg
Innventia
anna.wiberg@innventia.com
+46 768 767361
Tom Lindström
Innventia
tom.lindstrom@innventia.com
+46 768 767370
Marielle Henriksson
SP
marielle.henriksson@sp.se
+46 10 5166258
Agne Swerin
SP
agne.swerin@sp.se
+46 10 5166031
Bengt Hagström
Swerea
bengt.hagstrom@swerea.com
+46 31 7066362
Birgitha Nyström
Swerea
birgitha.nystrom@swerea.com
+46 911 74409
Authors and contributors
The RISE Research Institutes of Sweden - Innventia, SP, Swerea and Swedish ICT - are a major
R&D player in the bioeconomy sector, with a combined annual turnover in the field of 800 million SEK
(85 million €). During 2014-2015 the activities were reviewed in the RISE-project RISE Bioeconomy.
Areas with the greatest growth potential were identified and strategies for how to move forward were
published in the following eight roadmaps for the period 2015-2025:
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The pulp mill biorefinery
Textile materials from cellulose
Advanced material from nanocellulose
Bio-based composites
Lignin-based carbon fibres
Biofuels for low-carbon steel industry
Food industry and pulp mill symbiosis
Sensors for increased resource efficiency