Plans to develop an eco-friendly resin for the building and furniture industries have taken a step forward following a £50,000 funding boost.
The project, awarded the money in the Home Grown Cereals Authority’s Enterprise Awards, aims to produce resin from oilseed rape as an alternative to the formaldehyde-based products widely used in wood and fibre composite boards. About 145,000 tonnes of formaldehyde-based phenolic resins are used annually in western Europe.
The resin, developed by Cambridge Biopolymers with the University of Wales, is claimed to be as strong as chemical resins but does not create toxic emissions; the raw material is sustainable, renewable and widely grown; it is cost-effective, recyclable and naturally water-resistant.
Dr Colin Fitchett, who leads development work, said the funding would enable the project to go beyond laboratory trials and a pilot production plant is to be set up as a step towards full-scale manufacture.
He said: “We are already seeing a movement away from resins made with harmful chemicals. Bioresins are the way forward, and thanks to the Enterprise award we think our project will be ready for commercial scale production in time to ride the crest of the wave.”
