RISE Processum Activity Report 2018

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

Activity Report 2018 RISE Processum

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RISE Processum | Activity Report 2018

It’s all happening right now Magnus Hallberg, CEO of RISE Processum

What a year 2018 was! For those of us who love the snow, the winter was the best in living memory, and in March there was wild speculation that it might not have time to melt away before the O-Ringen event was due to start in August. But in April the sun began to shine, in fact it did not stop until September, when our former CEO Clas Engström had taken down the screens and confirmed with satisfaction that here on the High Coast we’d organised the best orienteering competition ever. Experiencing three months of Mediterranean heat with bathing lakes registering 27 degrees here in Nolaskogs felt unreal and wonderful, but not without forest fires and bone-dry fields also leaving a knot in the stomach and a bitter after-taste in the mouth. There is of course a difference between climate and weather, but we can nevertheless confirm that extreme weather is becoming increasingly common. Global heat records keep being broken, and there is no longer any doubt that we are already seeing the effects of global warming. Over the next ten years we need to transform our society into a circular, bio-based economy in which fossil raw materials and energy are phased out and replaced by renewable alternatives, and where resources are used as efficiently as possible. In other words, we are facing an enormous challenge and we will all need to play our part if we are to succeed.

In our cluster we are doing this by leading the way in the field of forest biorefinery development. During the year, for example, the Holmsund Biocarbon Plant received funding to build a commercial facility based on BioEndev’s torrefaction technology for the production of biocoal in Umeå. SCA is expanding production in both Obbola and Östrand, and is at the same time planning for the production of biodiesel and biopetrol from residue streams. At Processum, we are working with SEKAB and Noyuron in a project funded by the EU to investigate the possibilities of producing ethyl chloride from bioethanol in Domsjö, and there are several projects and partnerships under way to commercialise the concept of fish feed from forest industry residue streams. Another project that started during the year was the Rewofuel, in which the EU is investing 13.9 million euros to establish large-scale production of bio aviation fuel and biopetrol.

SEKAB E-technology is a key actor in this project with its CelluAPP technology platform. Their role is to refine biomass to produce sugar and lignin, which in the next stage are converted into biofuel. The aim of the project is that it will result in a number of biorefineries

dispersed across the EU that use residual products from the EU’s forestry and forest and sawmill industries as raw materials.

As a research institute, we at Processum and our other colleagues in RISE can accelerate innovation processes and shorten the time from concept to market by contributing competence and infrastructure for the upscaling, testing and demonstration of biorefinery processes.

In 2018 a number of new pilots were built and taken into operation, and Processum has recruited no fewer than 12 new researchers and engineers of six different nationalities. As CEO of Processum, I am incredibly proud to see that we can attract such driven and competent employees in international competition from all corners of the world.

Accelerating innovation processes and developing the innovation system in the region is also the very core of our Vinnväxt initiative, The Biorefinery of the Future, which we in the cluster have been running jointly since 2008. We are now entering the final year of Vinnväxt funding and are in the process of creating lasting forms for a new innovation platform that will take over when Vinnväxt ends. We are extremely happy and grateful for the strong support and engagement contributed by municipalities, regions, member companies, academia and RISE colleagues in this work.

I am also looking forward to the further development of RISE, which is in full swing. We have finally formed a strong division that brings together competence in all the value chains of the bioeconomy.

By creating clearer links between forestry, agriculture, food and chemistry, I believe that we will be an even sharper innovation partner for the industrial sector in the transition to a bioeconomy. I am also delighted that we in RISE have so clearly defined the bioeconomy and biorefineries in particular as growth areas, and about the many ongoing and planned initiatives aimed at our region and our cluster.

Both in terms of the development of the regional innovation environ­ ment and the transition to a bioeconomy, the sense that I take with me into 2019 is that it’s all happening right now and that at this precise moment we have a historically unique opportunity to make a difference. For me, it is an incredibly motivational feeling with which to hit the ground running this year and I look forward to making a difference together with you! 

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

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The transition is here and now Since 1 August 2018, Marco Lucisano has been Head of the Bioeconomy Division within RISE, having previously been Deputy CEO of the Paper­ making and Packaging unit. The position also brought with it the job of Chair of the Board at RISE Processum.

“This must be one of the most enjoyable jobs right now. Those of us who happen to be alive just now and have chosen to work with indu­ strial transition really can make a genuine difference,” he says.

ACCELERATING FOREST INNOVATIONS 2017 saw the establishment of Processum in Sundsvall. It was a natural, important step that emphasised Processum’s place in the region and reinforced the contact with member compa­ nies, Mid Sweden University and BizMaker. Matts Nyman, Busi­ ness Area Manager at BizMaker, sees many benefits in the move.

Photo: David Lagerlöf

According to Marco Lucisano, this unique opportunity exists because of the global sustainable development goals, which are now broken down into national goals, while at the same time the big companies are setting goals for themselves at the same level. In combination, these guidelines and the driving force generate a common movement in the right direction.

“The Scandinavian contribution to the bioeconomy is largely about the forest industry. The cluster by the Norrland coast, with Processum as its hub, is an engine for this transition. The region is also strong in the two very relevant fields of energy supplies and green chemistry.”

Processum has a central location in a region with leading competence in the area of biorefinery development, developed infrastructure and industrial habits, and with a close link to academia with activities in the field.

“Nothing just becomes good. We have to make it good. Processum’s way of doing this is via networks, meetings, research, competence and development,” says Marco Lucisano.

As Sweden’s biggest research institute, RISE has research, development and innovation with a link to forest raw materials. This brings

major opportunities to broaden collaboration with a multi-industry approach.

Testing and demonstration facilities are crucial to accelerating the shift towards a sustainable society. This is because it is possible to quickly determine whether a product is commercially viable. Rise owns most of the pilot and demonstration facilities in Sweden, with Processum’s pilot park representing a significant part of this.

“The world is moving and the time to innovation must be quick. Both for the environment and to keep up with the competition. Part of our role within RISE is to help with this. As a technical enabler, a catalyst for networks and a test bed for new ideas. Processum already has all of this in its DNA. That’s why we’re also a good platform for their continued growth.”

Marco Lucisano considers the region along the Norrland coast to be an interesting melting pot, with the opportunity to be sustainably successful.

“When these kinds of ‘hot spots’ appear, you know that they will drive developments forwards. I’m absolutely certain that Processum will continue to grow and that RISE will continue to grow with them,” concludes Marco. 

“Having Processum in place in Sundsvall gives the innovation system here an extra boost. For us at BizMaker, it means that we’re now linking together an entire value chain. Processum is contributing applied research, which means research that is close to commercialisation. Another thing that we appreciate is having access to Processum’s expertise in matters relating to patents.”

For a few years now, BizMaker has been running the Forest Business Accelerator in partnership with SCA and IBM. This is an accelerator for promising companies from all over Sweden that want to upscale their forest-related innovations and contribute to a more sustainable future. In 2018, Processum also became one of the stakeholders in the Accelerator.

“We’re delighted that Processum is bringing leading expertise in the field of biorefineries and renewable products, which we also believe can attract a broader target group. We’re hoping, for example, to attract more applications this year from companies run by women,” says Matts.

Every year there is scope for up to ten companies to be given help to develop their business concept with the assistance of actors that are already established, such as IBM, SCA, BizMaker and Processum. 

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RISE Processum | Activity Report 2018

The notion of Örnsköldsvik as a national centre for process engineering emerged in the early 2000s. It arrived in the wake of a hiving off of MoDo’s central and relatively free research operation, which had grown to become strong with the support of the Kempe family. A collection of enthusiasts from different companies in the Domsjö industrial estate started to meet during lunch breaks and discuss solutions. A feasibility study in 2002 resulted in twelve member companies forming an interest group and the company Processum Technology Park.

It was their representatives in 2003 who invited Stockholmer and IT Manager Peter Blomqvist to a meeting at Arlanda about the position as Processum’s very first CEO. Peter applied for the post – and got it.

“WE’VE NEVER TOLERATED RIGID STRUCTURES, BUT ‘THINK FOR YOURSELF!’ WAS A MANTRA FOR THE FIRST TEN YEARS” “It all went very quickly. My partner and I wanted to live in Norrland, and I liked the dream and the desire for something new that was presented to me. I’m still impressed by the companies, the municipality, the county, the universities and the Kempe Foundation.

Without that enormous desire and commitment that existed then and still exists now in the region, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Peter’s successor Clas Engström comments: “Even when you were recruited, the tone was set for what was to follow. You weren’t a conventional choice as CEO, as you’d come from a totally different industry and had no local network of contacts. Your ability to think freely and creatively has pervaded the organisation from day one. We’ve never tolerated rigid structures, but ‘think for yourself!’ was a mantra for the first ten years,” says Clas.

All of this thinking resulted in the visionary choice of name as the Biorefinery Initiative, based on the real strengths and the history that existed in that area.

“The first vision of Örnsköldsvik as the Swedish capital of process industry felt remote and not quite right, bearing in mind how strong certain other strong regions were. One important transition came when we realised that we had our unique strength in the areas of biotechnology and forest chemistry. And that the important thing wasn’t to achieve certain key indicators, but to have an in-depth understanding of companies and their needs. It was an early case of profiling that we’ve held onto ever since,” explains Peter.

Openness has produced results Another success factor is the openness that has pervaded the culture down the years. Openness to other industry affiliations such as biotechnology, chemistry and the textile industry. But also a geographical openness, in which Processum has welcomed

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

THE FIRST FIFTEEN YEARS – from the CEOs’ perspective

Down the years, three CEOs have made their mark on what is now RISE Processum. We brought them together at the office in Örnsköldsvik to hear about the first fifteen years from their perspective. How did it all begin? What were the success factors? And how do they view developments from the start until the present day?

members from outside its own municipality’s boundaries ever since it began.

“One of the keys is that we’ve moved from being a local initiative to become a regional, national and now very much a European cluster,” says the company’s current CEO Magnus Hallberg.

And it is this notion of putting forward ideas, sharing experiences and not being afraid of disclosing too much to gain the upper hand that we will return to in this conversation.

“Sometimes it feels as though we’ve given a way a great deal without getting anything in return,” says Clas. “But now, when you look at it in a longer-term perspective, it’s clear that Processum has benefited from this approach. There’s a wealth of goodwill and a spirit of generosity that has opened up endless opportunities. Everyone knows that Processum is committed to biorefinery development and that there’s no hidden agenda.”

Vinnväxt is the basis of everything One absolutely decisive milestone in Processum’s history is the victory in Vinnova’s VINNVÄXT competition in 2008 with the initiative The Biorefinery of the Future.

“That’s when we became a national node. Without VINNVÄXT, we wouldn’t have had the long-term financing and the unique degree of freedom that allowed us to think creatively and differently,” says Clas Engström.

Magnus Hallberg adds: “Everything we do right now has its origins in activities that

were started within the framework of The Biorefinery of the Future and ideas that emerged in the R&D council that was set up among members of the initiative. We’ve now built another layer on top of this, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the base.”

Furthermore, without the financing (which was extended in 2016), Processum would not have been an attractive prospect for acquisition for SP in 2013, believe the three CEOs. And without SP – and now RISE – behind them as a research institute, projects at EU level would have been out of reach. These projects with their resources and RISE with ‘its long reach extending out into the world’ have in turn accelerated both innovation processes and growth.

A youngster that has grown wings The pleasure it gives both former CEOs Peter Blomqvist and Clas Engström to revisit both people and research environments at Processum is evident. Old colleagues hug them and new employees with internationally sounding names are proudly introduced. What once were concepts have now become pilots, tests and assignment operations.

“Ah, this is all amazing!” exclaims Peter Blomqvist on several occasions, breaking into a broad smile.

What started out as three employees has now become 36.

Turnover of SEK 7 million is now 50 million. At what was once a dream is now very much reality. 

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RISE Processum | Activity Report 2018

Attracting international expertise South Africa, Switzerland, India, Greece and China. Over the past year, experienced researchers from all corners of the world have made their way to RISE Processum and Örnsköldsvik.

“The fact that we’ve attracted so many highly qualified international talents is evidence that our region is leading the way in terms of both work and quality of life,” says Magnus Hallberg, CEO at RISE Processum.

In addition to those who are introduced here, Processum was reinforced with four additional recruitments during the year. Lilian Larsson, Administration and Purchasing, William Siljebo, Senior Researcher, Bo Wester­ lind, Researcher, and Ran Duan, Researcher. You can read more about Bo and Ran on page 23.

Jonas Fahrni, Marie-Louise Wallberg, Björn Källman, Zhao Wang, Shubhankar Bhattacharyya, Kristina Wickholm, Lalie Kossatz and Charilaos Xiros.

Jonas Fahrni

Marie-Louise Wallberg

Björn Källman

Zhao Wang

Jonas Fahrni took the leap from Thun in Switzerland to Örnsköldsvik and Processum.

Since 1 June he has been employed as a research and development engineer in the Chemistry group, where he is working primarily on the HTL project. Jonas spent three years studying Chemistry at the University of Bern, while at the same time working as a laboratory technician.

After six months doing his military service, Jonas studied Chemistry at ZHAW Zürich University for Applied Sciences.

“The job at Processum is really exciting, and I’m looking forward to learning a new language. I also think it’s great to have such a good age mix, that so many of us are young.”

Processum has hired MarieLouise Wallberg as project manager in the Innovation Systems group. Marie-Louise has several years’ experience of development work in direct collaboration with and in companies with links to the forest industry.

Marie-Louise has an M.Sc. in Technical Chemistry from Umeå University, where she graduated in 1998. After gra­ duating, she started work as an R&D engineer at MoDo R&D. She spent nine years working there on process and product development in close collabo­ ration with mills in Sweden, Germany, Austria and France.

“I’m delighted to be back in the world of research, and I must say that Processum has been on an amazing journey.

Another thing that’s special is the close collaboration there is between companies in the area.”

Research and development engineer Björn Källman started his job as researcher in the Chemistry group at Processum on 1 June 2018. He worked previously at MoRe Research, primarily on the resolution of cellulose and viscose pro­ duction.

Björn has a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry with studies in Biochemistry and Plant Physiology.

At Processum he will be working primarily on the CNC pilot, which is owned by Processum, MoRe, Holmen and Melodea.

“I’m looking forward to working with nanocellulose, which is a really hot subject.

It’s a good combination of app­ lied research and sustainable development, an important area for the future.”

Zhao Wang has been hired as senior researcher in Processum’s Biotechnology group.

She studied Chemical Engineering at the Beijing Institute of Technology in China, receiving her Bachelor of Engineering degree in 2011. While studying, for four years she won the Academic Excellence Award, which is presen­ted to the best ten per cent of students.

As a doctoral student, she led and completed five projects and published six research articles. Her docto­ ral work included studies of the resistance in wood to biochemical conversion, inclu­ ding raw material properties, pretreatment, saccharification and fermentability.

“One of my first research areas is bacterial nanocellulose, an area with tremendous potential in many future applications.”

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

Shubhankar Bhattacharyya

Kristina Wickholm

Since August 2018, Shubhankar Bhattacharyya has been employed as senior researcher in Processum’s Chemistry group.

He has a solid background in Chemistry with a Ph.D. from the Defence Research & Development Establishment in Gwalior, India and a threeyear postgraduate course at Luleå University of Technology.

Shubhankar Bhattacharyya has a B.Sc. in Chemistry from City College, Calcutta University and an M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from D. B. Science College, RTM Nagpur University in India.

“My first job at Processum is to take part in the Cellulose PLA project, where I’ll be setting up an upscaling process in order to isolate lactic acid produced from forest-based sugar types and to polymerise it into a plastic material, polylactic acid (PLA).

Processum’s Innovation Systems group has been strengthened with the arrival of Kristina Wickholm from RISE Bioeconomy in Stockholm. She is working on a half-time basis for Processum and is sharing her time between Örnsköldsvik and her position as acting head of the HPI (Human Product Interaction) section in Stockholm.

At Processum, she is working partly on the implementation of the RISE project model and partly on the Adhesives and Paints project.

“Processum is running and is involved in a large number of projects, which is why we need to strengthen ourselves on the project manager side,” says Jonas Joelsson, Group Manager for Innovation Systems. “As Kristina is sharing her working hours, collaboration between the units will further increase, which benefits the whole division.”

Lalie Kossatz

Charilaos Xiros

The Biotechnology group has been enhanced by the hiring of Lalie Kossatz. She comes from Stellenbosch University in South Africa and has a master’s degree in Biotechnology.

“After almost five years in various laboratory and research positions at Stellenbosch University, I view my work at Processum as a good next step forward,” says Lalie Kossatz. “Sweden has high ambitions in the biorefinery field, and I like a country that wants to contribute to better, more sustainable conditions.”

Lalie took her master’s degree in 2014, and her dissertation involved a successful project to convert straw from triticale into ethanol. On the research side, Lalie continued for one and a half years to improve the yield and concentration of ethanol produced from straw. She then spent three years researching into the genetic modification of oil-producing yeast.

Since 27 August, Charilaos Xiros has been employed as senior researcher in Processum’s Biotechnology group.

He has a solid research background from Greece, Sweden and Switzerland. Many of the projects he has taken part in have involved the bioconversion of lignocellulose into ethanol, chemicals and mate­ rials. Charilaos Xiros has a Ph.D. from the National Technical University of Athens, and after defending his thesis he took on a postgraduate position at the National Technical University of Athens.

“My first task at Processum is to manage a project that aims to use lignocellulose to develop protein-rich food as an alternative to meat products.”

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New Head of Communications in place At the beginning of August, Frida Niska started as new Head of Communications at RISE Processum. After many years in the organisation, Sören Back retired and handed over the baton to Frida.

Frida previously worked as communications manager at BioBusiness Arena in Sundsvall, which became part of Processum’s organisation in 2017.

“It’s been really exciting to join a company like Processum, and I’m very impressed by the skills and the drive that exist here,” says Frida. “Processum has developed and grown extremely quickly in recent years, and communication has an important role to play here.”

Sören has been Head of Communications at Processum since 2011. He has extensive experience in the forest industry and has followed the organisation’s development from the outset. But he now hands over the baton with confidence in continued success.

“In various functions, I’ve been involved in the ama­zing journey that Processum has undertaken, from its formation in 2003 with two employees to now having almost 40 employees and being an internationally respected sub­ sidiary within RISE. This success is the result of a focus on biorefinery development, close collaboration with industry, academia and the public sector, the recruitment of competent CEOs and incredibly knowledgeable researchers in the fields of Chemistry and Biotechnology, and the creation of a unique pilot park. All of this, combined with an openness towards anyone wanting to collaborate on green projects, is what has built Processum. As the person responsible for communication, it’s been a pleasure to be able to contribute to the well-earned, positive image that Processum now has, and I wish Frida all the best in ongoing communication work.” 

Frida Niska takes over the baton as Head of Communications from Sören Back.

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RISE Processum | Activity Report 2018

The new demonstration facility for hydrothermal processes is controlled from the control room next door.

Pressure and heat is crucial In recent years, RISE Processum has built up both equipment and a vast competence bank when it comes to hydrothermal processes, for both the carbonisation and liquefaction of biomaterial.

Same technology, two processes. Same raw materials, two products. Processum’s well-developed pilot park now houses equipment that can be used not only for small batch and semi-continuous tests, but also for more industry-relevant continuous tests of both HTC and HTL. The new facility is located in a specially constructed room, designed to carry out reactions at high temperatures and high pressure in a safe way. The facility can be controlled from the room next door, offering an overview of what is happening.

A hydrothermal process is a technology used to transform a water suspension of biomass or other raw materials at high pressure and high temperatures into gas, liquid or solid components.

“Hydrothermal processes have the advantage that you can work with wet materials, the raw materials don’t need to be dried first,” explains Tomas Gustafsson, senior researcher at Processum. “It’s also an environment-friendly process, as it consumes less energy and we’re also using renewable raw materials for conversion into oil and coal, for example.”

Processing raw materials with hydrothermal processes is a way of achieving a higher value and a broader area of application for, among other things, residue streams from the pulp and paper industry. The liquefaction process is therefore an important piece of the puzzle to increase profitability in, for example, a biorefinery.

“Processum has invested in a continuous HTL pilot that we can use to produce sufficient volumes of crude oil that can be tested in different upgrading methods. We hope to achieve the quality required for further use as raw materials for biofuels, green chemicals and materials. The fact that we have companies and research institutes that cover the entire value chain makes this all very interesting and promising,” says Tomas. 

FAC TS: Hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) Used to convert biomass into liquid (usually biooil) at very high temperatures and

high pressure in the pre sence of water.

TEM PER ATU RE: Approxima tely 350 degrees Celsius PRE SSU RE: Approximatel y 200 bar TES T SCA LE: From tens of grams to one kilo of biooil per run Hydrothermal carbonisatio n (HTC) A technology used to con vert wet organic material (us ually biosludge) into solid mat erial (biocoal) at higher temper atures and pressure in the

presence of water.

TEM PER ATU RE: Approxima tely 200 degrees Celsius PRE SSU RE: Approximatel y 20 bar TES T SCA LE: From tens of grams to tens of kilos of biocoa l per run

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

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Thomas Nordlander and Oscar Nilsson from RISE Processum together with Fredrik Lindqvist from the company C-green.

C-GREEN COMMERCIALISES HTC Being able to transform wet sludge into an energy-rich product. That is the company C-green’s business concept. An environmentally sustainable way of making use of an otherwise unusable material. Together with, among others, RISE Processum, they have been able to realise their business concept.

The company C-green started out in 2015. Before then, the owners had worked as consultants, and in one of their studies they had investigated the possibilities of using Hydrothermal Carbonisation to transform residual products, for example wet biomass, into a valuable HTC product.

“We saw tremendous development potential in the method, and took our process concept to take part in a competition, the Ingmar Kroon Award,” explains Fredrik Lundqvist, one of the foun­ ders of C-green. “They too believed in the concept and we won the first prize, which consisted of time in the KTH Green House Clubs laboratory and funds for further research. There and then, we felt that we wanted to commit to this. We were given help to patent our concept and to register the company.”

C-green built up a pilot plant for HTC at the Processum and MoRe Research premises in Örnsköldsvik, which has been operational since 2017.

“I feel that there’s a great deal of interest,” explains Fredrik.

“The facility has had a high level of utilisation for large parts of 2017 and 2018.”

C-green has its head office in Solna, but it still chose to locate the pilot facility in Örnsköldsvik. There is infrastructure here in the form of premises, mechanical and instrument-based competence, and they are used to building pilot equipment.

“We have very good collaboration with Processum, with their engineers helping us to operate the facility and with MoRe

Research, in whose premises the equipment is currently located.

Thanks to them and many other collaborative partners, we’ve been able to build and operate the facility. As we’re based in Solna, we don’t always have the opportunity to travel up ourselves to take care of operation. Processum’s personnel know how it works and can step in instead. Furthermore, both Processum and MoRe Research have the opportunity to use the facility for their own needs.

There’s a productive giving and taking.”

“WE HAVE REALLY GOOD COLLABORATION WITH PROCESSUM, WITH THEIR ENGINEERS HELPING US TO OPERATE THE FACILITY” C-green’s owners are now planning to make the equipment mobile so that they can carry out on-site trials and also be able to show in practice the benefits of the method in long-term trials.” The planning and construction of a full-scale HTC facility are also under way, this too in Örnsköldsvik.

“We’ve chosen Örnsköldsvik as it’s a well-known industrial process city with a large number of knowledgeable companies. It’s also very close to everything, so there’s no problem getting hold of the right competence and/or equipment. The fact that I myself was born in Örnsköldsvik maybe also played a role, but let’s not mention that.” 

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RISE Processum | Activity Report 2018

VISITS FROM NEAR AND FAR Forest-based biorefinery development is generating interest all over the world.

The unique aspect of several companies and industries within the same industrial estate collaborating on research into innovation for a more sustainable future is attracting visitors from near and far. The Domsjö development area and the Norrland coast offer a unique environment in which green chemicals, fuels and materials are produced, and where new biorefinery processes are being developed in close colla­ boration between world-leading industries, research companies, research institutes and academia. Every year the area is visited by students, ministers, business leaders and many others. In 2018, ambassadors from both France and India also visited RISE Processum and other companies in the Domsjö development area.

French Ambassador informed about Clean Tech In a visit organised by North Sweden Cleantech and Emil Källström from the Centre Party, French Ambassador David Cvach spent a day visiting prominent organisations in the cleantech area in Västernorrland. In Örnsköldsvik, the visit took place in Processum and SEKAB, where the Ambassador was informed about the companies’ operations as well as various forward-looking projects that are under way.

“It’s really great that David Cvach, France’s Ambassador to Sweden, is taking the time to visit interesting, active companies and institutes in Västernorrland,” says Helena Näsström, International Business Developer at North Sweden Cleantech and the person who organised the visit. “There are many actors in the county currently working to drive the green transition. As well as visiting Processum in Örnsköldsvik, the Ambassador and his party also visited companies at the forefront of green developments in Härnösand and Sundsvall.”

“It’s great that our activities are attracting international attention,” says Björn Alriksson, Group Manager for Biotechnology and the person who presented Processum during the visit. “Processum is playing an active role in the international Sylfeed project, which has, among others, French project partners Norske Skog in Golbey and Arbiom, which was very relevant in this context.”

During the visit, Jonas Markusson presented the activities being carried out by SEKAB. Also involved in the visit were Pierre-Alexandre Miquel, Head of Regional Economic Department – Nordic Countries, Emil Källström, the Centre Party’s financial spokesperson, and Anna-Britta Åkerlind (Centre Party), who was then the municipal executive board’s second deputy chair in Örnsköldsvik.

David Cvach has been the French Ambassador in Stockholm since 2017 and has a diplomatic career encompassing a number of positions in France and in French embassies since 1996. 

Per Nyhlén (Social Democratic Party), Municipal Commissioner in Party), Minister for European Union Affairs and Trade, visit RISE Group Manager for Biotechnology and Lalie Kossatz, researcher

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

Unique forms of collaboration interest the Indian Ambassador Monika Kapil Mohta, India’s Ambassador to Sweden, visited the Domsjö area on Wednesday 12 September, and in particular Domsjö Fabriker, MoRe Research and Processum.

The purpose of her visit was to see and learn how we are collaborating and developing processes and products for a more circular economy.

“Sweden has a very clear lead when it comes to a green transition, which is why I visit different regions in Sweden regularly in order to see and learn more about how we in India might work,” said Monika Kapil Mohta during the visit.

“Of particular interest are regions where there are already links to India, which is the case in the Domsjö area, as Domsjö Fabriker is owned by the Indian group of companies Aditya Birla. I’m impressed by the collaboration that exists between businesses and universities, and also with muni­ cipalities, regional authorities and government agencies.

We face many challenges in India when it comes to the environment and sustainability, so it is important that we learn from you and can also collaborate across national borders.”

During the visit Stefan Svensson, CEO of MoRe Research, showed and described for the Ambassador how cellulose is made into viscose thread. This is a very relevant subject, as MoRe has an extensive installation of viscose pilots, and the vast majority of Domsjö Fabriker’s production of dissolving cellulose goes to viscose production, to places including India.

“Visits of this kind are very valuable to us,” says Marco Lucisano, Head of Division at RISE and Chairman of the Board at RISE Processum. “We’re a Swedish research institute with many international partners and contacts, and visits like these open up additional opportunities.” 

Stefan Svensson, CEO of MoRe Research, shows Monika Kapil Mohta, the Indian Ambassador to Sweden, how cellulose is made into viscose thread.

Focus on regional development during County Governor’s visit In November, Berit Högman, County Governor of Västernorrland County, visited Processum in Örnsköldsvik. During the County Governor’s visit, CEO Magnus Hallberg explained more about how long-term collaboration in the field of triple helix has contributed to regional development in the forest-based biorefinery field. Those present during the meeting included Sören Petersson, CEO of Holmen Skog, who spoke more about the forest industry’s role for our county and Lars Winter, CEO of Domsjö Fabriker, who explained more about biorefinery development now and in the future. 

Minister for European Union Affairs and Trade in Örnsköldsvik

Örnsköldsvik and Ann Linde (Social Democratic Processum and are welcomed by Björn Alriksson, from Processum.

In September, Minister for European Union Affairs and Trade Ann Linde visited Processum.

During her visit, the Minister experienced a presentation of the operation and a guided tour of Processum’s research and development environment. Also present during the visit were Elvy Söderström, Chair of the County Council Assembly, Kristina Nilsson, Member of the Swedish Parliament, and Per Nylén, Municipal Commissioner of Örnsköldsvik.

The forest and the forest industry are the key to the transition to a sustainable society and a circular, bio-based economy. Many products that are currently produced from oil will in future be produced from forest raw materials, as the Minister learned during the meeting.

During the guided tour, Björn Alriksson showed how Processum works all the way from the laboratory scale up to full-size demo scale. In addition to this, the Minister also had the chance to meet one of Processum’s most recent new arrivals, Lalie Kossitz from South Africa, who explained more about why she had chosen Örnsköldsvik as a home and Processum as an employer.

Processum’s CEO Magnus Hallberg was very pleased after the visit and highlights the importance of EU support for Processum.

“The EU has been extremely important for the development of Processum. Above all, support from the European Regional Development Fund has contributed to our being able to build up infrastructure, networks and competence that now make us competitive in other EU programmes such as Horizon 2020. I’m really proud to have been able to present our operations to the Minister.

Together with our member companies and our cluster, we can present incredible competence and the opportunities that exist in the research and development that are being conducted here.” 

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RISE Processum | Activity Report 2018

FROM TRAINEE TO DEPUTY CEO Trainee programmes were not what Maria Karlström had in mind after gra­duating. But now, six years on, she confirms that without the trainee program, she would not be where she is today. She has not regretted a second of it.

Maria Karlström sat her M.Sc. exams in Energy Technology at Umeå University in 2013. The plan was to start work straight away as an energy engineer. But while Maria was applying for jobs, RISE Processum and the Åkroken trainee programme popped up. As Maria has a basic interest in the region and in the forest industry, she felt that she had to send in an application.

The trainee programme was unique in the way that four trainees had the opportunity to rotate between four different companies during one year, instead of staying at one company in the traditional way. There was also a lot of work on personal development and contact with a mentor throughout the whole programme. The latter element would prove to be extremely significant for Maria.

“I WAS GIVEN A CHANCE TO BUILD UP MY SELF-CONFIDENCE AND A BELIEF IN MY OWN ABILITY” Several years’ experience in one year Maria was offered one of the four places on the trainee programme and decided to accept. She started with a placement at Eurocon, a consultancy company in the field of technical development. The challenge was to find meaningful tasks for a newly graduated energy engineer. The solution was a place at MOPSsys, which was an associated company of Eurocon that develops, sells and maintains IT product solutions for the paper and pulp industry. After that she spent one placement at Metsä Board in Husum with a group of other energy engineers, one at Akzo Nobel in Sundsvall, where she worked on an energy analysis assignment and one at SCA Bollsta, where the task was an enhancement initiative.

“It’s valuable to have gained an insight into and to have met people at all four companies,” confirms Maria. “It feels as if

thanks to the trainee programme we picked up several years’ workplace experience in one year.”

Not just work In addition to the company placements, the trainees acquired knowledge of business development and personal development through Åkroken and Idéforum. Throughout the entire trainee period Maria also met her mentor Jonas Mårtensson, CEO at SCA Timber, at regular intervals.

“It was about personal development based specifically on my professional role. He made me think about whether I wanted to develop the specialist side of me or the leadership side. And maybe he manipulated me towards leadership,” she says with a laugh. “He transformed the way I viewed myself, from specialist to leader. He coached me in a very targeted way, I think.”

How do you proceed?

The trainee programme offers no guarantees of employment, for either the trainees or the participating companies. There are also clear rules about when it is permitted to start discussions about possible employment. Once that time had passed, Hans Hallin at MOPSsys made contact with Maria, wondering if she was interested in coming back.

“MOPSsys’ business was actually furthest away from what I’d qualified for. But like Hans, I felt that we’d worked well together and really wanted to give it a chance.”

She started at the company as a systems engineer. But now, four years later, she is Deputy CEO. “Thanks to the trainee programme, I proved that I can deliver, and in a short period of time. I was given a chance to build up my self-confidence and a belief in my own ability.

Without that, I wouldn’t be where I am today, in many ways.

I’ve not regretted a second of it.” 

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

SKOGSKOLLO

visited RISE Processum Skogskollo (Forest Summer Camp) is an initiative that aims to increase interest among girls in the forest and the forest industry. One of the summer camps in Västernorrland was held in Örnsköldsvik on 26–28 June. Sixteen eleven-year-old girls visited, among other places, RISE Processum and were able to learn how the forest can also be turned into protein, plastic, biogas, etc.

Carolina Jogner and Mai Bui, R&D engineers at Processum, explained about Processum and showed examples of what can be produced from the forest and residue streams with the aid of Chemistry and Biotechnology. One demonstration that generated plenty of interest and lots of questions was an experiment with two bottles with balloons attached, to show that yeast absorbs sugar in fibre sludge in the same way as ‘normal’ sugar. The girls were also able to place ‘Domsjö’s cellulose button’ in water in

order to study the absorbency of the cellulose, see Processum’s pilots and of course enjoy some nice cakes. There was also a quiz, which was very popu­ lar and was considered to be the highlight of the day by summer camp participants Emmy and Emma.

“It’s great fun to be able to inspire young girls and show that the forest can be used for so much,” says Carolina Jogner. “The girls made their own reflections, asked a lot of questions and put forward lots of spontaneous comments. Unexpected things you experience when you’re young stay in the memory, and we hope that this day might contribute to the girls choosing a course and a job relating to the forest and the forest industry one day in the future.”

The technical forest cluster in Vindeln is the project owner, and they organise Skogskollo for girls together with a number of partner counties.

Having initially started in Västerbotten, Skogskollo has quickly developed and is now held at many locations all over Sweden. The aim is to achieve a more gender-equal forestry sector and to contri­ bute to increasing interest in the forest and forest technology among young girls. 

Wants to awaken interest in technology among young girls Teknikbussen called in at Processum in October 2018.

Teknikbussen (Technology Bus) is an initiative to boost interest in technical professions among young girls who had not previously considered technology.

It is a sub-project within the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth’s ‘Smart Industry’ initiative.

The girls were able to carry out experiments and learn more about what can be made from the forest. 

Travel grants for Chemistry teachers from Umeå and Vännäs This year’s travel grants for Chemistry teachers went to Marianne Nilsson, from the Linneaskolan school in Umeå, and Erika Söderquist, from the Hammarskolan school in Vännäs. They are receiving the grant so that they can attend the ‘Experimental Chemistry’ course in Gävle. The grants are being awarded for the fourth year in succession and are a result of RISE Processum having received Västernorrland County Council’s external environmental prize in 2014.

The ‘Experimental Chemistry’ course for general science teachers is a partnership between the Swedish National Committee for Pure and Applied Chemistry at the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, various universities, the Swedish National Resource Centre for Chemistry Teachers and the Swedish Chemical Society, and is held on 6–10 August in Gävle. The purpose of the course is to provide participants with indepth knowledge of experimentally based modern chemistry.

“When we won Västernorrland County Council’s external environmental prize in

2014, we decided that the entire prize sum would go to travel grants for Chemistry teachers from the region who are attending the national ‘Experimental Chemistry’ course,” says Caroline Lindberg, Processum. “It’s absolutely great that we can use the prize in this way for something that’s close to our heart, namely to inspire a greater interest in Chemistry.”

The grant entails Processum paying the cost of travel to enable the teachers to attend the ‘Experimental Chemistry’ course in Gävle. The hope is that they will acquire inspiration and knowledge there for their

continued learning. Marianne Nilsson, who works at the Linneaskolan school in Umeå, is one of the grant recipients involved.

“I was surprised that Processum chose to present two travel grants, one of them to me, for which I’m very grateful,” explains Marianne. “My expectations of the week in Gävle are that I’ll pick up input for my own teaching, that it will help me to acquire more tools and ways into the subject that result in my being able to attract and challenge more pupils in my teaching so that they develop a greater interest in and an enhanced understanding of Chemistry.” 

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RISE Processum | Activity Report 2018

Fossil-free adhesives and paints – a much-awaited innovation During the year, RISE Processum coordinated the ‘Adhesives and Paints’ project, the purpose of which was to investigate which fossil components can be replaced by bio-based solutions in modern adhesive and paint products. The project was a first step in Vinnova’s Challenge-Driven Innovation initiative, which offers an opportunity for funding in three stages. The aim is to move on to the next stage and that the new fossil-free products can be part of the construction of the very first totally fossil-free pre-school in the western world, which is planned in Gothenburg.

The City of Gothenburg is one of the stakeholders in the project.

The ambition to build a new, totally fossil-free pre-school, named Hoppet (Hope), is in full swing. But innovation is required if it is to become a reality.

“We see a major need in the construction industry to develop paints and adhesive products that are bio-based, while at the same time maintaining the same quality as modern products,” says Maria Perzon from Bengt Dahlgren, environment project manager for Hoppet and participant in ‘Adhesives and Paints’. The City Premises Administration in the City of Gothenburg intends to build the very first fossil-free pre-school in the western world by 2021, by which time all construction products and processes need to be converted to fossil-free and have minimal climate impact.

Ingrained attitudes Current adhesive and paint products are largely based on com­ ponents with a fossil origin. The purpose of Adhesives and Paints is to make it possible to replace them with bio-based alternatives.

FACTS: The first part of the project involves Chalmers Industriteknik, Johanneberg Science Park,the West Swedish Chemical and Material Cluster, RISE Processum, RISE and Umeå Univer­ sity, industrial partners such as AkzoNobel, Holmen,Perstorp, SEKAB and Södra, as well as Bengt Dahlgren AB, the City of Gothenburg City Premises Administration and Riksbyggen.

“Developing cost-efficient, bio-based adhesive and paint components that work in existing production systems is a challenge,” says Kristina Wickholm at Processum, project manager of Adhesives and Paints. “Our aim in this project is to develop feasible solutions for fossil-free paints and adhesives based on forest raw materials.

This project feels especially exciting, as in addition to partners in research and industry, we also have project participants from the fields of construction and property ownership.”

Pre-school part of the motivation The project is part of Vinnova’s Challenge-Driven Motivation programme (UDI), which is a three-stage programme that emphasises that projects must investigate, develop and implement innovative solutions that contribute to the sustainable development goals of Agenda 2030.

The Adhesives and Paints project is currently in an initial phase and has built up a strong consortium around the concept. An external analysis will be conducted together with a provisional evaluation based on the technical, economic and environmental potential, as well as the possibility of implementation.

Based on the outcome of the first stage, there is then the pos­ sibility of taking the project on to the next stage.

“If we receive continued funding, in this project we want to develop components and processes for the bio-based adhesives and paints of the future based on forest raw materials. To achieve the greatest possible environmental effect, we’re aiming at components that can replace fossil-based ones with competitive bio-based ones, and where the replacement has a major environmental impact. It would, for example, feel amazingly good and exciting to develop fossil-free paint with which to paint the proposed fossil-free preschool,” concludes Kristina Wickholm. 

LABSERVICE – NEW MEMBER COMPANY At the beginning of 2018, the Sundsvall-based company LabService became a member of RISE Processum’s interest group.

LabService provides most things for the lab and also manufactures reference solutions in accordance with recipes for laboratories in all industries. LabService is also a distributor for the international chemicals manufacturer Honeywell.

“I realised that membership would bring benefits both to us and to Processum,” explains Lars Eriksson, co-owner at LabService.

“There’s a very high competence base at Processum and I believe that with our expertise in the field of chemicals we will be able to have a very good reciprocal arrangement.”

LabService and Processum have already collaborated in the past in various projects, including Green Pro, where the aim is to develop

green chemicals from the forest and forest products. LabService also has ongoing partnerships with other parts of the RISE Group.

Membership of the interest group brings many benefits. Access to competences and equipment is one, a contact person who offers support and assistance when it comes to projects in the biorefinery area, etc. And Lars at LabService is already seeing the benefits of membership.

“Absolutely. I’ve received help with verifications and certain issues relating to processes we’re working with from David Saitton at Processum, who’s extremely knowledgeable. And I’m also in contact with Bengt Aldén almost every week for the project we’re collaborating on. It’s that network that’s so important.” 

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

Full-scale cover with green liquor dregs The biggest covering solution so far for mine waste, in which green liquor dregs were included in the structure, has been carried out at the Svärtträsk mine in Västerbotten. 8,000 tonnes of green liquor dregs have been used as a component in the covering structure, which is intended to prevent any leakage of heavy metals from mine waste. A covering method that RISE Processum has helped to develop together with several other actors.

Green liquor dregs are a residue material from the pulp industry that has been used to some extent as construction material in the industry’s own landfill sites, but has otherwise been classified as waste.

Since 2009, the chemical and physical properties of the green liquor dregs have been investigated at Luleå University of Technology.

A series of partnership projects have been run since then at Processum, with the aim of identifying a method to determine how a blend of moraine, which is close to the mines, and green liquor dregs from the pulp industry can form a barrier to cover mine waste.

Based on results and experiences from this research, a set of guidelines for the use of green liquor dregs as covering material has been produced. These guidelines formed the basis when the Geological Survey of Sweden (SGU) announced a tendering procedure to perform the work to cover waste from the Svärtträsk mine.

The Svärtträsk mine has been without an owner for many years, as the two companies that planned the mining operations have been declared bankrupt. Scanmining was awarded a permit for mining ope­ rations in 2002 at both Svärtträsk and Blaiken in Västerbotten. Zinc, lead and gold were mined for a short period at the mine, but when the company was declared bankrupt the mine was taken over by Lappland Goldminers. They too were declared bankrupt, although without having started any mining activities.

In the area were two open-cast mines, deposits of waste rock and a settling basin.

As the mine was leaking heavy metals and there was no owner to be held responsible for this, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency allocated SEK 105 million for the remediation and restoration of the area. The authority responsible for remediation was the Swedish Geological Survey (SGU).

SGU held a tendering procedure to find a contractor for the assignment. The tender documentation included the condition that the user instructions for green liquor dregs as a covering material should be used in connection with remediation.

Work is expected to continue until 2020.

The covering of mine waste has been carried out, with deliveries of green liquor dregs of the desired quality having been completed successfully.

“It feels really great that the development of this method is now being used on a full scale to combat the environmental problem that leaking mine waste can represent,” says Gunnar Westin, business developer at Processum. “The development of this method is a good example of two Swedish base industries, in this case the forest indu­stry and the mining industry, in collaboration with recycling companies, contractors, consultants and academia coming together to create value for all parties. The guidelines that we produced here together with Boliden, Ragn-Sells, Ecoloop, Luleå University of Technology, MTC, Swerock and Ramböll have been used and been shown to work well in practice, which feels incredibly good.” 

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RISE Processum | Activity Report 2018

VOTE OF CONFIDENCE FOR NANOCELLULOSE Nanocellulose is a hot topic that the RISE research institute has chosen as one of its strategic areas. There is already both equipment for and expertise in the subject within the Group. RISE Processum in Örnsköldsvik has been working for a few years to upscale production processes for crystalline and bacterial nanocellulose.

Processum is part of RISE’s initiative in nanocellulose, the competence platform ‘Nanocellulose in Hybrid Materials’, which is being led by Norwegian RISE PFI and Kristin Syverud. Hybrid materials are composites of two or more constituent parts with dimensions at the nano scale or molecular level. The combined materials can have extraordinary properties. The RISE competence platform is used to investigate the possibilities of using nanocelluloses in artificial hybrid materials.

Nanocellulose is a new, advanced, biobased material component with a broad spectrum of both known and as yet undiscovered applications. There is a high level of interest from industry, and the industrial implementation of nanocellulose technology has the potential to make a significant contribution to the goals of the Swedish bioeconomy. RISE’s groups of researchers were among the pioneers in the field of nanocellulose research and are leading the way in international research in the areas of production of, modification of and applications for nanocellulose. RISE has a

unique research infrastructure; in addition to the pilot plants in Örnsköldsvik for BNC and CNC, there is also a unique, transportable CNF demonstration plant and a laboratory and pilot plant for CNF. International research in the field of nanocellulose has dealt primarily with production technologies and specific applications, and less with exploring and understanding the interactions between nanocellulose and other material components.

“A basic understanding of the properties of nanocellulose in its interaction with other materials will give RISE an important competitive advantage,” says Karin Johnson, Head of Research at Processum. “This is the key to developing new materials with specific material properties such as strength, electrical properties, magnetic properties, absorption properties and viscoelasticity.”

The material has many potential areas of application, such as paper and packaging applications, food, cosmetics, biomedical applications, composites, oil field applications,

FA CT S: CNC pilot 2018 Good progress ha s been made during 2018 with regard to the pi lot plant that Processum is building in Örnsköldsvik together with the business partners MoRe Research, Ho lmen and Melodea. The tech nology comes from the Is raeli company Melodea, of which Holmen is a co-o wner.

“We’re fully fo cused on bringing the pilo t up to maximum capacity ,” explains Karin. “There ar e some process paramete rs that still need to be improved, but we’ve run a number of batches and it lo oks pro­ mising. Our busi ness partners already have customers requesting CNC, so we hope we will soon be able to deliver at full capacity.”

membranes and flexible screens. Most of the areas mentioned above are already being investigated by RISE in partnership with industry and academia. The breadth of the areas of application makes a polytechnic organisation with multi-industrial orientation, such as RISE, particularly suitable in paving the way for development. 

Unique bacteria create pure cellulose It is no secret that bacteria can create fine cellulose. The problem in the past was that it takes a long time and requires expensive growth media, as the bacteria are extremely fussy about which medium they are served. RISE Processum, working together with Umeå University, has now managed to resolve many challenges and is producing bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) in bioreactors on a pilot scale.

“This is a product that brings major benefits,” explains Anders Wallenius, senior researcher at Processum. “BNC is extremely strong, it absorbs water well and is biocompatible. This means that BNC should be of interest for applications associated with the human body, such as medicines, plasters and prosthetics, for example blood vessels. BNC also has areas of application in, for example, the food, textile and packaging industries.”

Together with Umeå University and MoRe Research, Processum has developed production methods to manufacture bacterial nanocellulose more efficiently than before from a raw material that is otherwise trea­ ted as a low-value residue stream.

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is different from microfibrillar nanocellulose (MNC) and crystalline nanocellulose (CNC) in the sense that it is not produced from cellulose that originates from plants, which means that BNC has other properties. It is potentially possible to produce even

stronger materials using BNC than the other kinds of nanocellulose, as it more crystalline and has a high degree of polymerisation.

There are several factors that make the trials unique. Firstly, the researchers have used a low-value residue stream from the pulp industry that has proven to be suitable for the purpose. The researchers have also cultivated a separate strain of bacteria that has proven to thrive with the sugar from these residue streams and can also be cultivated in agitated bioreactors, which has also speeded up the process.

“The results so far feel extremely promising,” says Anders. “We believe in this, and the plan is to further develop the method by means of optimisation and upscaling. We also want to set up partnerships with stakeholders that have applications and materials that could be improved with BNC. We already have a few under way, but we see tremendous potential for the material on many fronts, so there is scope for more.” 

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

New research and development projects under way There has continued to be a high level of activity and great interest in RISE Processum’s R&D Council activities. Twelve new R&D Council partnerships have been launched during the year, with a total project volume of SEK 10 million. RISE Processum’s investments total around SEK 4 million, the rest comprising the other parties’ own investments.

The purpose of Processum’s R&D Council is to promote new ideas for products and processes in the biorefinery field.

The projects and partnerships in 2018 have involved not only member companies but also other companies and organisations, and often academia as well. The number of actors in each project can vary from 2–3 or more.

“We strive to build our projects with competence and actors along the entire value chain. Our experiences show that there needs to be a drive and a benefit for all actors along the chain from raw material to end customer if a good idea is to have good prospects of being realised,” explains Liselotte Uhlir, project manager at Processum and the person coordinating the R&D Council.

The R&D Council has been an important tool for both acting as a catalyst for the development of the biorefinery concept in the region and also developing the organisation’s networks by attracting new competence and new strategic collaborative partners to the cluster.

The new R&D Council activities launched during the year include a concept for evaluating the use of biocoal based on residue materials from the pulp industry in new applications, HTC treatment of biosludge and the evaluation of the use of the material produced and single cell protein from under-utilised forest raw materials. There are also a couple of different projects investigating the possibilities of obtaining and using electric filter dust. A few partnerships are also under way involving the treatment of water from microplastics and the use of torrified branches to manufacture soil.

Bacterial nanocellulose is a new, exciting area on which Processum is also focusing.

You can read more about that on page 16.

The Council is constantly looking for new R&D projects. Anyone with a good idea can get in touch with Processum’s process engineers for more information. 

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BUSINESS INNOVATION DAY – CHALLENGE THE EXPERTS A few times every year, companies and innovators have the chance to submit a challenge to experts in fields ranging from IT to chemistry and business development to respond to. Business Innovation Day (BID) is organised by Processum together with Mid Sweden University, Fiber Optic Valley and BizMaker.

The challenges can involve, for example, something an entrepreneur needs help with to develop their business, or an innovator who has hit a dead end and needs help to move on with their idea.

They can find help from an array of competences such as researchers in the fields of electronics, IT, technical chemistry and physics, business advisors and financing support, which are matched up with the various challenges that are sent in.

“Our experts can come up with suggestions, new approaches, ideas, scientific methods and technical solutions. We can also provide access to unique competence through national and international networks of contacts with researchers and actors in the field of innovation. We want Business Innovation Day to increase opportunities for innovation through collaboration, create new meetings and make use of research in live cases,” says Bengt Aldén, project manager at Processum.

It is the challenges that set the agenda and the composition of competence for the meeting.

Before the day of the meeting, the company’s questions are matched up with suitable experts in the field in order to create the best possible conditions for finding the best solutions to the questions. During the day, representatives from the companies meet experts on site to spend an hour discussing various solutions to the challenge in a workshop. The entrepreneurs are naturally assured of total confidentiality regarding the challenges and issues.  WANT TO KNOW MORE? www.businessinnovationday.se

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Processum | Activity Report 2018

Flexible use of biomasses in

MOBILE FLIP All over Europe there are under-utilised biomasses. One reason why they are not used is, for example, that they are produced in small places a long way from the nearest industry. The EU project Mobile Flip aims to develop and demonstrate mobile and flexi­ ble processes for making use of this as yet unexploited resource.

EU PROJECTS CREATE GREAT ADDED VALUE Interest in RISE Processum is growing all the time in the global market, bringing with it new opportunities. Wide-ranging EU projects are now a large, important part of the organisation’s activities.

In collaboration with institutes, companies and universities all over Europe, RISE Processum is working to find sustainable alternatives and create conditions for a transition to the bioeconomy.

Major international collaborative and research projects are also creating value for companies in the region, as these EU funds are helping to boost earlier initiatives and project results. The combination of being a regionally based research hub and part of a national research institute is increasing the drawing power and opportunities to take part in major global projects. Furthermore, the infrastructure that has been built up in the region is being made available at an international level, creating rings on the water.

Here we present a selection of the international projects in which RISE Processum has participated during 2018.

The project has focused on five technologies used to treat biomass. These technologies produce either a finished product or an intermediate one that can in due course be used to manufacture, for example, fuels or other chemicals.

The starting point has been to highlight the possibility of increasing the value of remotely produced biomass by building mobile and/or flexible processes. The five methods are pelletising, torrefaction, slow hydrolysis, hydrothermal pretreatment and carbonisation. Research into these methods has been backed up by studies of the commercial, social and environmental sustainability of the different methods.

During the course of the project, demonstration plants have been built associated with three of the five methods. RISE Processum has worked with, among others, the Estonian company BioGold, which has built a mobile plant to produce sugar streams using hydrothermal pretreatment This is a sugar stream that RISE Processum then studied in order to refine and extract various component parts.

Emma Johansson is project manager for Processum.

“We’ve looked at how you can extract and refine the sugar that’s produced by means of hydrothermal pretreatment. If you can do that, there’s tremendous potential to manufacture high-value products. We’ve used ultra- and nano-filtration to study this.”

The project started in 2015 and was completed at the turn of the year 2018/2019. Emma believes that there is major potential in the work undertaken.

“Unsurprisingly, it’s difficult to extract and refine sugar from these streams. We’d really like to be able to continue in future, to build on the contacts we’ve made during the project and further develop the ultra- and nano-method, and also in relation to our other pilot park.”  W A N T T O K N O W M O R E ? www.mobileflip.eu

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

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PAPERCHAIN

– chains of partnerships Paperchain is a wide-ranging EU project in which a number of European countries are involved. It started in 2017 and will last for four years. RISE Processum is responsible for two parts of the project.

Paperchain is all about developing industrial symbioses with the paper and pulp industry as a starting point and with a focus on the demonstration scale.

Processum’s work consists partly of developing a value chain based on a by-product from the paper and pulp industry, which via ethanol production and synthesis of ethyl chloride is passed on to production of the cellulose ether Bermocoll®. The value chain demonstrated also includes developing a new quality of woodbased cellulose that is adapted for cellulose ether production.

Processum is also working in another demonstration case involving a new application of green liquor dregs. In both cases, there is potential for close collaboration between different industries.

In the first case, three companies at the Domsjö Industrial Estate are collaborating: Domsjö Fabriker, which is producing suitable side streams for further processing into ethanol and developing a quality of cellulose that is suitable for the production of cellulose ethers. The ethanol goes on to SEKAB, which together with Processum demonstrates the manufacturing of ethyl chloride. Nouyron uses ethyl chloride in the manufacturing of Bermocoll®. Ethyl chloride currently has only a small number of manufacturers and is transported long distances.

“It’s amazing to see a project like this that involves a clear symbiosis between several companies within the same industrial estate, where they can find value together,” says Gunnar Westin, business developer at Processum.

Thanks to the companies’ and Processum’s pilot parks, the value chain and its processes can be demonstrated under realistic conditions, so the project will also be generating relevant results for ongoing work.

The other part is about collaboration between different areas of industry, i.e. the forest industry, recycling companies and the mining industry. Processum has worked in collaborative projects together with the entire value chain to develop a method of using residual materials from the pulp industry to become a valuable component for the mining industry. Green liquor dregs, which are usually classified as waste, can instead be used in barrier structures to cover mine waste. This method has already been used on a full scale, and Paperchain involves Processum working together with LTU, Boliden, Ragn-Sells and Ecolopp to further develop the method. 

W A N T T O K N O W M O R E ? www.paperchain.eu

AGROinLOG

close to completion A demonstration plant that shows that it is possible to extract biooil from, for example, straw is the result of RISE Processum’s participation in the major EU project AGROinLOG, which is now coming to its conclusion.

AGROinLOG is an EU project with three sub-areas, all of which are about finding alternative areas of application for residue streams from agriculture.

Straw is one such raw material that is in plentiful supply in Europe and that could be used in, for example, the manufacturing of ethanol.

Finding profitability in such a process is one of the challenges on which the Swedish partners Processum together with various competences in the RISE Group and Lantmännen Agroetanol are focusing.

For the process to be profitable, as much as possible of the raw material must be used, and this is where Processum comes in. When ethanol is manufactured from straw, a residual product is created consisting of lignin. Processum’s task is to find areas of application for the lignin and an efficient way of refining it.

Processum has built two demonstration plants for this purpose, in order to use HTL (hydrothermal liquefaction) to produce a lignin-based biooil for biofuels, for example. The HTL process can liquefy many different raw materials, including lignin from straw as demonstrated in this project.

“Our goal has at all times been to create a continuous HTL process, as we believe that this has the greatest potential to be upscaled to full-scale production,” explains Tomas Gustafsson, senior researcher at Processum. “This is a technology that already existed, but it hasn’t been tested on a commercial scale.”

The researchers at Processum started on a small scale by building a simulated continuous process with the aid of three reactors. Thanks to the AGROinLOG project, they have now been able to upscale the process and have built a continuous HTL plant so that they can take the next step in order to make use of residue streams of lignin.

There have been many challenges. Firstly, a high level of safety awareness is required as the process involves both very high pressure and high temperatures. These also have to be regulated in such a way that the process is safe and maintains an even quality in an ongoing process.

“AGROinLOG has been a very successful project for the Swedish parties,” says Tomas Gustafsson. “We’ve had the opportunity to build and develop a plant that is now ready to start producing biooil. The collaboration has been successful, as together we’ve illustrated the overall concept that it is possible to use large parts of the raw material straw that would otherwise be used less beneficially.”

In 2019 there will be additional tests and production in the demonstration plant before the project is completed and a final report is produced.

W A N T T O K N O W M O R E ? agroinlog-h2020.eu

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BIORAFF – MORE FROM WOOD In a joint Swedish-Norwegian Interreg project, ‘Bioraff – Mer av trä’ (‘Bioraff – More from Wood’), RISE Processum and RISE PFI have collaborated in order to further develop processes and products based on wood and industrial residue streams.

The main purpose of Bioraff – More from Wood was to develop and process products that are used in biorefineries, both based on present-day production plants and in totally new kinds of biorefineries. The development of these new products may give a boost to the current economy and also create new companies based on forest raw materials.

The project had four focus areas. One focus of the project was the production of protein from wood for fish feed, in which we collaborated with the entire value chain. Another one was about developing concepts for how better profitability can be achieved through the co-production of biofuels and biochemicals from lignin and pyrolysis oils, which would increase the value of a raw material that otherwise would often end up as a waste stream.

The project has produced a glue-like material from pyrolysis oil. And finally, the environmental, technical and practical potential of torrified material, so-called black pellets, has been evaluated. Combustion trials at Nord Energi in Trøndelag have produced good results. This may contribute to fossil fuels in local district heating systems being replaced with locally produced torrified material. 

Attractive biorefinery solutions in Green Bioraff Solutions 2018 saw the launch of a collaborative project, Green Bioraff Solu­ tion (GBS), in which Processum is working together with Finnish parties Chydenius and Centra. The goal in GBS is to produce plastic from lactic acid and also to produce active coal made of sawdust and fibre sludge, both by-products from the sawmill industry and the paper and pulp industry. The project will also develop a tan­ nin-based foam for construction purposes.

Green Bioraff Solutions is a three-year Interreg Botnia Atlantica project, which was started with the aim of developing new, sustainable products made from residue products from the forest industry. Stakeholders in the project are Polarbröd, SEKAB, Sveaskog, ST1, Holmen, Domsjö Fabriker, SCA and UPM. They represent different parts of the value chain. The project consortium wants to develop attractive biorefinery solutions for Sweden and Finland. The target groups for the project consist of raw material suppliers, sawmills and the pulp and paper industry. There are also end users in the form of composite companies and construction companies. These are contributing valuable knowledge and material to the project.

It has long been known that the slow degradation process of plastic is an environmental problem, and that it is often produced from fossil raw materials, which are a finite resource and contribute to carbon dioxide emissions. One solution to these problems might be a biobased, biodegradable plastic. In a sub-project, sawdust and fibre sludge will be transformed into lactic acid via enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation and chemical catalysis. This will in turn be converted into PLA, which is a recyclable and degradable bioplastic.

Environmental benefits may also be achieved by reducing the need for products to be transported long distances. One example is the fact that the project in another sub-project is aiming to produce activated carbon with the aid of raw material from the Swedish and Finnish forest rather than buying large volumes of activated carbon from Sri Lanka.

In the project, tannins are being extracted from bark and used to produce a tannin-based foam. One benefit of this foam is that it has high fire-resistance, which is good for construction materials. 

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

Fossil-free aviation Sweden is a role model as a country when it comes to the transition to fossil-free aviation.

Even though there are few aircraft that have bio aviation fuel in their tank at present, we are leading the way comfortably when it comes to making headway in this work.

The Swedish Energy Agency has mandated RISE to work together with SAS and Swedavia to run an innovation cluster to accelerate the transition.

The cluster aims to bring together actors that are willing and able to strive for fossil-free aviation: regional authorities and industry representatives such as airports and airlines, biofuel producers and business developers.

Just over one year ago, the government gave the Swedish Energy Agency SEK 100 million to make it more attractive both to develop biofuel for aircraft from Swedish forest raw materials and to create a market for it. The assignment includes advertising funds to support the research and development of sustainable biofuels for aircraft and to set up an innovation cluster that brings together the whole value chain and that draws up a joint needs analysis in order to accelerate the transition to a fossil-free aviation industry.

SAS and Swedavia, which were already running projects together with RISE, are also involved as founders of the innovation cluster, which also includes RISE Processum.

“The difference compared with before is that until now there have been many actors working separately, and much of the focus was on developing technology to manage the transition,” says Maria Fiskerud, project manager at RISE who will be in charge of the innovation cluster. “The challenge today is also about how we can create a consensus and develop sustainable, attractive busi-

ness models and services that make it interesting to invest in and commit to the production of bio aviation fuel. This is why we want to have as many parties with us as possible who share our goals.

Those who, within a not too distant future, want more sustainable aviation. We must do this together.”

The creation of the innovation cluster was announced last autumn, but the launch will be on 6 March this year. The 20 original member companies have met in order to start work, and the hope is that the number of members will increase many times over in the years ahead. One important task for the cluster will be to draw up a list of needs, which both the Swedish Energy Agency and the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation have requested in order to be able to prioritise their initiatives. A list of what needs to happen in order to achieve the project’s goal, fossil-free domestic flights before 2030, with the same ambition for international flights by 2045.

“I believe we must adopt a broad-based approach,” says Maria.

“That large and small companies work together and that we also remain open to new solutions with regard to both technology and the market, but also how we travel around in general. A solution, for example, in which future versions of electric aircraft may result in totally new transport solutions.” 

Aviation fuel using yeast fungus If air travel is going to be able to be fossil-free in the future, sustainable alternatives will be needed to present-day fuels. A project is under way at the moment at RISE Processum to produce a bio-based fuel from sawmill residues with the aid of yeast fungus.

Via a sugar platform process using yeast fungi and a chemical-catalytic processing, researchers at Processum hope to be able to produce a biofuel of sufficiently high quality to function as aviation fuel. The project focuses on industrially relevant and

cost-efficient raw materials from residue streams from Swedish forest raw materials consisting of sawdust and planer shavings.

The ‘Aviation Fuel from Sawmill Residues’ project is just in the starting blocks, and it has not yet been decided exactly

what form the process will take, or which organisms and materials are to be used. The challenge is to obtain the biggest possible yield from the material in order to achieve economic sustainability in production and a product of sufficiently high quality. 

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AGENDA 2030

– DRIVING FORCE FOR INNOVATION For the very first time, the world has common sustainable development goals. The 17 global goals aim to eradicate poverty and hunger, to realise human rights for all, to achieve equality and empowerment for all women and girls, and to guarantee lasting protection for the planet and its natural resources. In addition to clarifying which goals must be achieved for sustainable development at a global level, Agenda 2030 is also an important tool in regional and national work.

With funding from VINNOVA, during 2018 RISE Processum carried out a pilot project that aimed to increase knowledge of the Agenda, both internally and in the cluster, and also to draw up an action plan to integrate Agenda 2030 more clearly into operations.

“In our role as cluster engine, we should be an inspiration and a role model for work with Agenda 2030, although

the purpose of the project was also to make use of the knowledge of the Agenda that already exists in the cluster and to share experiences with one another,” says Frida Niska, who managed the project at Processum.

A number of training sessions and workshops were held during the year, and there was a high level of engagement both among employees and in the cluster. It resulted in a solid body of material, which now forms the basis of the action plan that is being produced.

“Agenda 2030 defines our task even more clearly. If we’re to achieve all 17 goals at a global level, we need more research and new, innovative solutions. It will be another driving force for us in our work,” says Frida Niska.  READ MORE ABOUT THE GLOBAL GOALS: www.globalamalen.se

SCIENCE & INNOVATION DAY For the fourth year now, the Science & Innovation Day was organised on 16 October in Sundsvall. The conference is a meeting place at which research, society and business can gather to discuss the latest trends, present projects, be inspired by exciting speakers and meet up in a more relaxed setting. It is a jointly organised event between the research centres FSCN – Fibre Science and Communication Network, STC – Sensible Things that

Communicate, RISE Processum, Fibre Optic Valley, Åkroken Science Park, BizMaker and RISE. This year’s theme was ‘Transform your business for future challenges’. The focus was on how digitalisation is challenging traditional business models and driving developments towards a more sustainable society. The moderator for the day was Mattias Goldmann, CEO at Fores and well-

known lobbyist in areas including sustainability-related issues. Speakers included Nyamko Sabuni, Head of Sustainability at ÅF, Sofia Granath from Wireless Cars, Olof Gränström from Gapminder and Professor Zong Lin Wang from the Georgia Institute of Technology.  www.scienceandinnovationday.se

Activity Report 2018 | RISE Processum

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Paper could replace plastic

Ran Duan and Bo Westerlind, researchers and project managers in Paper to Replace Plastic.

Paper to Replace Plastic is a three-year development project being run by RISE Processum in partnership with Mid Sweden University in Sundsvall and companies in the region. The aim of the project is to develop prototypes of objects in which the plastic is wholly or partly replaced with bio-based and biodegradable paper products.

Research is now taking place on a broad front to find new materials to replace plastic. The Paper to Replace Plastic project is based on existing paper that is then treated with chemicals, for example sodium hydroxide and urea, to create paper products with properties that are similar to plastic. The background to and the driving forces in the project are the environment and the goal of achieving a sustainable, balanced society.

“We live in a world of plastic and must move towards finding new, renewable materials. We believe that Swedish forest raw materials can contribute to replacing some present-day plastic products,” says Bo Westerlind, researcher and project manager at Processum.

The purpose of Paper to Replace Plastic is to develop prototypes of objects in which the plastic is wholly or partly replaced with biobased and biodegradable paper products. The project focuses on four product areas, three of which are based on modified paper.

1) Paper yarn that replaces synthetic yarns.

2) Profiles for strips in which the profile can be folded together or shaped to create a given geometry.

3) 3D-shaped material for packaging solutions.

Area four involves the use of dissolved cellulose instead of paper, but using similar chemistry to surface-treat wood as a replacement for plastic paints.

READ MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT: www.papertoreplaceplastic.se

Paper to Replace Plastic is being funded by the European Development Fund and Region Västernorrland, and is a partnership between Processum and researchers at the FSCN centre of excellence at Mid Sweden University, where they are studying dissolution and regeneration/coagulation of cellulose so that it assumes plastic-like properties. The project is also firmly embedded in the regional economy, as SCA, Nouryon and HL-Display, ELBY Produkter and Edvardssons Trä are involved as project partners. SCA and Nouryon are also involved as financiers.

In order to accelerate the implementation of research results, the project is collaborating with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region in order to develop new products and areas of application. The project has also brought in designers and students who can contribute new ideas and areas of application. The project started on 1 April 2017 and continues until 31 March 2020. 

THREE MINUTES IN THE SPOTLIGHT The film entitled ‘Framtidens fiskar växer på träd’ (‘Fish of the Future Grow on Trees’), which was produced as part of the newspaper Aftonbladet’s TV series Framtidslandet (Country of the Future), was a success.

In the film, Björn Alriksson from RISE Processum talks about the Single Cell project, which is about transforming forest raw materials into fish feed. And the film has had a major impact with more than 200,000 viewings.

The Framtidslandet series of films came about as the result of the collaboration known as the N6 initiative, a network of six of the bigger municipalities in Northern Sweden and Aftonbladet.

The aim of the N6 initiative is to refine what they perceive to be a stereotypical image of Northern Sweden. They want to talk about an expansive, attractive region with plenty of innovation, technical expertise and creativity.

This is done by such means as gathering facts and then presenting facts in various media formats and at various events. The Framtidslandet series is part of this work. 

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RISE Processum | Activity Report 2018

-medlemsfรถretagen

RISE Processum AB Box 70, SE-891 22 ร rnskรถldsvik Phone: +46 10 516 67 50 | info@processum.se forename.surname@processum.se | www.processum.se