Commercialization of Molded Wood Flour-Cellulose Nanomaterial Products

PI:  Mehdi Tajvidi, UM School of Forest Resources

We propose commercialization of molded products that can be fabricated from wood flour and lignocellulosic nanomaterials, originated from Maine’s abundant fiber resource. The main advantage of the proposed product, compared with its plastic counterparts, is biodegradability and environmentally-benign end-of-life disposal. Moreover, both major components are made from Maine’s renewable resources. The target market is home and office accessories including desk organizers, pencil cups, etc. as well as children’s toys (e.g. toy building blocks). Briefly, various formulations based on wood flour, CNF, LCNF, Fiberlean and other additives are blended and then casted into 3D printed molds that are designed for specific geometries. Typical products include desk organizers and pen cups as well as toy building blocks. Coloring pigments are added into the mixture to achieve colorful products. The wet shaped products will be dried in an oven under light pressure to avoid warpage. The prototypes will be used for commercialization efforts and a start-up company will be formed to produce the developed products.