Stora Enso and Cordenka signed a joint development agreement to develop precursors for biobased carbon fiber. Co-development is driven by the need for high-performance carbon fiber in the transportation, construction and generation of electricity.
Stora Enso has developed the technology for manufacturing carbon fiber from wood-based raw materials, i.e. dissolving pulp and lignin, on a laboratory scale. The agreement announced with Cordenka GmbH & Co KG, a leading producer of high quality industrial viscose fibers, aims to take the development process from precursors to pilot scale operation. The development of precursors is carried out with specialized manufacturing spinning equipment at the Cordenka production site in Obernburg, Germany. The company is supported by BMC, owner of Cordenka, as part of its strategy to extend Cordenka's reach to new and growing markets in Asia.
Demand for carbon fiber is steadily increasing at an annual growth rate of 10%. The target of the partnership will be on the development of carbon fiber initially for industrial applications requiring low weight and high mechanical performance, such as pultruded laminates used in the manufacture of rotor blades of wind energy. Today, 20% of the world's carbon supply is used by the wind industry.
Nowadays, carbon fiber is made from PAN (polyacrylonitrile) which is an oil-based raw material. The raw materials for biobased carbon fiber are cellulose and lignin, which come from trees. In the biobased carbon fiber process, the cellulose is converted to viscose and mixed with lignin to form the spinning dough. The dough is spun into precursor fiber which is thermally converted into carbon fiber.
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