GoldFlute
The project aims to verify whether wheat straw can be used as a complementary fibre raw material in fluting, the corrugated middle layer of corrugated board.
The GoldFlute project aims to verify the potential of wheat straw as a complementary fiber furnish in fluting - the corrugated medium layer in corrugated board packaging. The starting point is that Lixea´s patented process produces a straw pulp with fiber properties that differ from conventional NSSC pulp, with preliminary results indicating over 30 percent higher compression strength. Whether this potential can be realised in an industrially relevant fluting material remains unknown.
In the project, Billerud produces and evaluates laboratory-scale fluting at defined straw pulp blend levels of 5, 10 and up to 20 percent. Mechanical properties are analysed using SCT, CCT and tensile testing, and converting compatibility is evaluated through laboratory-scale corrugation trials. In parallel, a technoeconomic assessment and risk evaluation are conducted to generate a decision basis for further scale-up.
The project is executed by Lixea as coordinating partner, together with Billerud and Tolefors Gård, and spans the full value chain from agricultural raw material to packaging application. A positive outcome would create the foundation for establishing an integrated bio-based value chain and contribute to increased circularity and a diversified fiber base within the Swedish packaging industry.
