CEBINA – environmentally improves other products
14/12/2020
Norske Skog Saugbrugs has since 2006 developed new and sustainable products based on fibre. CEBINA is a natural fibre product and add rheology control in fluids and armouring in solid materials. Following significant marketing efforts and customer testing in 2020, Norske Skog is proud to announce that CEBINA is now sold to customers in Norway and internationally.
“The CEBINA sales in the fourth quarter are incredibly exciting. We have been able to establish promising cooperation with companies, consultants and researchers, who see the unique potential in the green and sustainable product we have developed,” says Hugo Harstad, Commercial Development Director of CEBINA at Norske Skog Saugbrugs.
Product development of CEBINA continues at full speed, and Saugbrugs works closely with, among others, Re-Turn in Fredrikstad to identify new applications. In 2020, a new variant of CEBINA has been developed in which the water in which the fibrils are suspended has been replaced with a polymer. This enables the use of CEBINA in, for example, epoxy floor coverings and adhesives. In collaboration with Re-Turn, Gjøco and Solberg Gulv & Industribelegg, Saugbrugs has developed CEBINA in epoxy coatings from laboratory demonstration to industrial production and floor demonstrations. In November, the first floor was laid on a 60 square meter area at Saugbrugs, followed by a 400 square meter area in December.
“CEBINA replaces existing viscosifiers used in epoxy, adding improved flow properties. Epoxy based on CEBINA is of particular interest due to its health and environmental qualities, as well as reduced time in deployment. Beyond epoxies, new variants of CEBINA will add similar benefits to glue and paint. Production capacity for CEBINA will be expanded in line with increased demand,” says Hugo Harstad.
CEBINA is produced by breaking down the fibre to very small parts, called cellulose nano fibrils (CNF) or micro fibrillated celluloses (MFC). CEBINA form a network of micro-length threads at nano-width. One gram of CEBINA can cover an entire tennis court, or be stretched eight times around the earth. These incredible surface and length properties is what gives CEBINA its unique qualities.
Owner and Managing Director of Solberg Gulv & Industribelegg, Jørn Solberg, says: “The CEBINA product floats well on horizontal surfaces and works smooth on walls. CEBINA saves preparation time when laying floors, and removes health challenges with existing products.”
The research on CEBINA started in 2006, and resulted in industrial production that commenced in 2017. Support from The Research Council of Norway and Innovation Norway has been key to the success. CEBINA was initially targeted towards publication paper, but quickly showed potential far beyond publication papers. Development of new and sustainable products requires healthy collaboration with R&D institutions and industry. Norske Skog Saugbrugs has worked closely with the R&DI institutions PFI RISE, NORCE and Re-Turn.
“Norske Skog Saugbrugs has for several years worked to develop new and sustainable products. In addition to CEBINA, we have developed biogas production based on water effluent treatment and technology to strengthen plastics with fibre,” says Kjell-Arve Kure, Managing Director at Norske Skog Saugbrugs.
About Norske Skog Saugbrugs
Norske Skog Saugbrugs has 450 employees, turnover of approximately NOK 2.0 billion, and production capacity of 330 000 tonnes (as of 1. January 2021) SC magazine paper targeting markets in Europe and North-America. Saugbrugs produces 2.7 million normal cubic metres of biogas annually.