Finnish renewable materials company Stora Enso (Helsinki; www.storaenso.com) has launched a range of wood-based biocomposites that it said offers a high-performance and sustainable alternative to plastics. The “DuraSense” granules are a combination of natural wood fibres, polymers and additives, which the company said offer the moulding ability of plastic with the sustainability and workability of wood. The wood fibres can also be combined with recycled or biopolymers to enhance their sustainability rating.

“DuraSense can reduce the consumption of plastic materials by up to 60%, ensuring less microplastics end up in the environment. Stora Enso’s biocomposites can be reused as a material up to seven times or recycled along with other plastic materials or, alternatively, used for energy recovery at their end of life,” said Patricia Oddshammar, head of biocomposites. Jari Suominen, head of wood products, added that DuraSense can reduce a customer’s carbon footprint by up to 80%, depending on the product.

The biocomposites are suitable for a variety of applications, from consumer goods to industrial uses. Typical uses include furniture, pallets, hand tools, automotive parts, beauty and lifestyle products, toys, kitchen utensils and bottle caps, among others.

Stora Enso started production of the biocomposites at Hylte / Sweden this year – see Plasteurope.com of 19.01.2017. The company invested EUR 12m into the mill, which it claims is the largest capacity in Europe dedicated to wood fibre composites, with peak production of 15,000 t/y.