US research centre jump-starts forest products manufacturing
Revitalisation of the pulp, paper and packaging industry is an initiative supported by the US Department of Energy (DOE).
Smart manufacturing tools and advanced materials research aim to increase productivity for forest products.
The new Centre for Research and Advancement of Forest Product Technologies (CRAFT) will link both industry and research communities with a goal to modernise mill operations, reduce costs and strengthen the forest products supply chain.
Alongside digital transformation of the industry, next-generation pulping, chemical recovery, dewatering and drying were named as some of the focus areas of the research at CRAFT.
Funding for the centre will come from the Industrial Technologies Office in DOE’s Office of Critical Minerals, together with support from DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is leading the national effort in collaboration with DOE’s National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR)
Through its industry and research guidance team, CRAFT intends to work closely with representatives across the supply chain, including manufacturers, customers and equipment suppliers to commercialise new technologies.
More like this...
