Summary
• Tricoya technology will be used to commercialise Medite MDF panels.
• The process will be developed at Medite’s Clonmel mill.
• Products could challenge for usage in sectors dominated by non-timber alternatives.
• Solid capital investment will be required to take it to the next stage.
It seemed like the next logical step: if you can modify solid wood, then couldn’t you also modify the wood chips, fibres and particles that would form MDF and other wood based panels.
The answer, thanks to a joint development agreement (JDA) between Medite Europe Ltd and Titan Wood, whose Tricoya technology will be used to commercialise modified MDF panels, is a resounding yes.
Just when these panels hit the UK market remains to be seen. Having signed a formal agreement in early June, granting Medite an exclusive licence to develop, manufacture, market, distribute and sell licensed products in the UK and Republic of Ireland, work is now under way to develop the Tricoya process at Medite’s Clonmel mill.
This work will take between 12-18 months, although it is expected to be at least two, possibly three, years before the first modified MDF panels hit the UK market. Billed as the first major innovation in the wood composites industry in more than 30 years, Titan says it is technically easier to acetylate smaller wood geometries such as chips or fibre compared to solid wood but the process required for use in a panel forming operation was “considerably more complex”. The environmentally responsible process protects wood from rot and significantly improves the dimensional stability and durability of the composite without making it toxic.
Potential applications
Both companies are optimistic about the potential. Although because of the broad range of potential applications, the size of any market has yet to be fully determined, the companies said it is “encouraging in its breadth and scope”.
Coillte Panel Products and Titan, whose Accoya modified solid wood is already proving a commercial success, believe no other companies in the world have developed a commercially viable acetylated wood panel.
“The expectation is that Tricoya technology can be commercialised in virtually any wood-based composite material and these are currently being developed,” it said. “But initially MDF seems to have the broadest range of potential applications.”
Speaking to TTJ, Geoff Rhodes, marketing and business development director for Coillte Panel Products, said Tricoya technology could potentially open new doors for panel products. “What we’re looking at here is potentially creating a whole new generic type of wood-based panel product,” he said.
“If you can produce a highly durable, highly stable, panel product that will move very little, then you start to change the performance parameters tremendously.”
This, he added, could see panel products challenge for use in sectors that have previously been dominated by non-wood products, such as shopfitting applications, exterior facades, sign writing, and sound barriers for motorways. It could also be extended into consumer products like garden furniture, decking or components.
Research and development
The JDA follows an extensive period of joint research and development by Medite and Titan – and both parties are under no illusions that there is still much work to be done. “Even when we get to a point where the technology can be proven, it will require a solid capital investment to take it to the next stage: that would mean an acetylation plant,” said Mr Rhodes. “But there’s a real desire to develop and prove this product works.”
Titan Wood is equally optimistic about the opportunities. “As a step-change product, Accoya has demonstrated that it is possible for wood to be both durable and environmentally sound,” said Michel Maes, Titan Wood’s manager panel products Europe. “Tricoya technology is a logical next phase. It will offer the opportunity to develop high-value, high-performance, innovative wood composite products that can be used with absolute confidence in new and challenging applications.”
He also said the company was “delighted” to be collaborating with Medite on the initiative, working together to produce the “most durable, stable and sustainable composite panels on the market”.
The possibilities for Tricoya-modified wood panels were exciting, said Mr Rhodes, although it was still too early to say exactly what the product could – and would – be used for because the scope is enormous.
“There is the potential to create an opportunity to bring something new [to the market] in panel form. It would tick all the right environmental boxes, but would also offer a level of durability, stability and predictability that current panel products don’t bring. It could take the market by storm.”
