Making Wood Moldable and Extrudable
A company in Germany has developed a way to make a meltable wood-based polymer that can be extruded, palletized, and injection molded. Tecnaro GmbH in Eisenach is a commercial spinoff from the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Pfinztal, Germany. Tecnaro takes lignin, a natural polymer in wood, that has been separated from cellulose in the papermaking process and mixes the lignin with natural fibers such as sisal, hemp, or linen plus additives and colorant dyes. The resulting product, called Arboform, is a biodegradable thermoplastic that can molded into figurines, speaker cabinets, auto instrument panels, chessmen, golf tees, or rifle stocks. Moldable Arboform has been sold since 2000. Now, Tecnaro is pursuing extrusion applications such as artists’ crayons and cosmetic pencils. Tel: +49 3691/621-320, e-mail: info@tecnaro.de, www.tecnaro.de