Research and development

R&D

At eco materials R&D center in Orkdal, Norway, we have a complete production line for waste wood recycling that over the past 18-months has given us amounts of data on how to improve AI-driven sorting.

Through our testing we have solved how to

1. remove all metal objects larger than 1-2mm from the stream
2. separate out defined unwanted objects from the stream, leaving us with the requested raw material

In addition, we have tested how to optimize

• on-site pre-sorting to lower transportation costs and maximize material recovery
• shredding and sifting processes to minimize material loss and manage unwanted fractions efficiently
• control and documentation that complies with recipients’ specifications and end-of-waste requirements for the end products

Our R&D efforts are focused on two principal directions:

• advancing material recovery technology
• meeting the requirements for substituting virgin wood with reclaimed wood in multiple products

We have been working on meeting the requirements for using reclaimed wood in:

1. wood panels (solved)
2. wood fiber insulation (solved)
3. as a reducing agent in the processing industry
4. biochar (solved, but must be adjusted for each pyrolyses oven)
   1. used in processing industry
   2. CO2 capture and soil improvement
   3. CO2 capture in cement

Residual waste from our separation process is used for energy recovery, but we can separate the waste wood into multiple fractions if desired. This is always a cost benefit analysis based on regulations requirements and potential value of the end products. The key for our approach is always to separate raw materials out of the waste, creating a true circular economy.