Ecohelix receives SEK 13 million to bring WOODMER® biopolymer products to market
Ecohelix announces that it has received a SEK 13 million grant from Vinnova, Sweden´s Innovation Agency. The grant enables Ecohelix to bring its sustainable biopolymer WOODMER® to the market. With the investment, Ecohelix is scaling up demo production plant to verify commercial scale production capabilities and to make sustainable biopolymer available on the market.
Ecohelix WOODMER® biopolymer offers a green alternative to fossil-based polymers. Unique adaptability of WOODMER® makes it applicable to a wide range of products, for example as a paper chemical component, adhesive and a dispersant. Potential application areas are packaging, construction and even cosmetics products.
Today, Ecohelix demo production plant is located at Domsjö Fabriker, showcasing the technology in an industrial environment. The plant is utilizing side stream of the pulp mill to produce high performing and environmentally friendly biopolymer, replacing fossil-based polymers used in many applications in for example packaging and construction industry. Vinnova grant enables an investment to ramp up the production of the WOODMER® biopolymer, from current 20 tn/a up to 500 tn/a. This enables the first stage of commercial scale production and prepares the way for full scale production, which is aimed to start in 2026.
“We are pleased to receive the fund from Vinnova – Sweden´s Innovation Agency’s Sustainable Industry fund. This is yet another important step forward on our journey to large scale production”, says Petri Oinonen, CEO and founder of Ecohelix. There has been an intense period of research and development together with our partners. During that period, we have created and refined several applications, where Ecohelix WOODMER® can be used to move away from fossil fuels and decrease the society´s environmental burden. This is happening in the products we use in our daily life. Now we can ramp up the production and bring our first products to the market”, Petri Oinonen continues.
Ecohelix is building the scale up production together with Domsjö Fabriker. Domsjö Fabriker is a biorefinery that produces dissolving cellulose, lignin powder and bioethanol from softwood. Ecohelix WOODMER® journey took off over 13 years ago, with the aim to identify uses for side streams and by-products of the Domsjö production plant. The project soon developed into a symbiotic partnership between Ecohelix and Domsjö Fabriker, where both finds interesting opportunities and benefits.
Technical solution Ecohelix has created, supports the green transition, helping industries move away from fossil products and hence contribute to larger climate goals such as the EU Green Deal and help meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Further information:
Oskar Schmidt, Chief Technology Officer at Ecohelix
Email: oskar@ecohelix.se
Tel: +46 702 802840
www.ecohelix.se
