Over a period of over two years, the Norwegian corrugated board producer Glomma Papp has, together with Borregaard and the Exilva innovation, extensively tested, produced and developed corrugated board solutions with no added boron.
Exilva Combo as a quality enhancer and boron reducer at Glomma Papp
An innovation from Borregaard makes it possible to produce corrugated board without adding boron derivatives in the glue. "This solution is a response to regulatory concerns about borates, as well as improving productivity and quality of the board", says Project Director for Exilva Justin Scarpello at Borregaard.
Boron derivatives, classified by the European Chemical Agency as Substances of Very High Concern suspected of damaging fertility and the unborn child, are used in the glue to make corrugated boards. The starch glue suppliers and the corrugated board industry has yet not been able to replace these hazardous compounds.
Over a period of over two years the Norwegian corrugated board producer Glomma Papp has, together with Borregaard and the Exilva innovation, extensively tested, produced and developed corrugated board solutions with no added boron.
"We started to technically qualify a boron free solution. Then we have used Exilva as a productivity enhancer. Doing this, we have an option to step by step reduce the boron compounds in the glue, in a controlled manner. Exilva enables us to run smoother, faster, and with improved quality and speed. Based on around 70 million m² produced boards with Exilva, we’ve measured production improvements by 14% and reduced warp with 11%.",
– Corrugator Supervisor Jan Berg at Glomma Papp, Norway.
Borregaard has innovated a new to the world Microfibrillated Cellulose technology called Exilva, a completely natural and sustainable wood-based solution. The product has a unique combination of robustness and rheological properties creating a strong network that enables the replacement of boron derivatives in corrugated starch glue systems.
Exilva has received funding from the Bio-Based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBI) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 709746.