Zelfo Overview

What is Zelfo?

Zelfo^® is a high performance bio-based material. Patented fibre technology developed by Zelfo Technology transforms 100% renewable or recycled cellulose fibres and water into self-binding Zelfo material. With unprecedented environmental, performance, and design attributes, Zelfo is an economic, adaptable and sustainable alternative to wood, plastics, and other materials for 2D and 3D applications in:

Product Design & Built Environment/Construction:

Uses across consumer products, packaging, interior design, and construction include housings, furniture, flooring, and paneling.
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Pulp, Paper, and Paper Board:

Development programmes are underway exploring Zelfo as an additive to paper and board making stocks to improve end-product performance and the development of Zelfo from pulp and paper mill waste, providing an opportunity to monetize existing waste streams.
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Plastics:

Zelfo may serve as an additive to or matrix for bio-based or conventional plastics, enhancing performance and reducing non-renewable material content. Solutions for plastics are currently under review to create customized Zelfo compounds to meet performance requirements.
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See the Zelfo Overview document for more information.

What is cellulose?

Cellulose is “nature’s plastic”. In fibrous form it is the basic structural component of plant cell walls, where it is found as microfibrils or fibrils (2-20 nm diameter and 100 – 40 000 nm long) that come together to form a strong structural framework. Cellulose comprises about 33 percent of all vegetable matter (90 percent of cotton and 50 percent of wood are cellulose) and is the most abundant of all naturally occurring organic compounds.

Like man-made plastics, cellulose is a polymer (poly = many), a compound made up of many smaller identical molecules; for cellulose, the molecule is glucose. Pure Zelfo is made of cellulose modified through CORE technology to enhance its natural properties so that it can be used to replace or complement manmade plastics derived from non-renewable sources.

Source: Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Association, Datton, USA www.cellulose.org

What is CORE technology?

The patented Cellulose Optimization Resource Efficient (CORE) technology provides an extremely energy- and water-efficient processing method to transform cellulose fibre and water into self-binding Zelfo.

In certain circumstances, CORE may also be employed to increase energy and water efficiency in pulp, paper and board production.

Is Zelfo for sale?

Yes. Detailed technical discussions on current and emerging know-how and IP, CORE technology, and Zelfo material require a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), as various applications are still under development.

Pilot plant:

Zelfo Technology’s pilot plant facilities can produce sheet material and batch prototyping.

Zelfo material:

Pre-made Zelfo may be purchased in sheet form, semidry or dry form through Zelfo Technology.

Licensing:

Zelfo Technology grants licenses for its patented technology, facilitating the economic and responsible production of Zelfo-based products.

R&D:

Interested parties may co-develop Zelfo-based products under license.

To support licensees, Zelfo Technology operates a continuous material improvement programme in collaboration with European institutes, authorities and both national and international companies. In addition, licensees working with Zelfo Technology have access to its global team of experts in bio-based materials, design, and manufacturing.

Expertise Behind Zelfo Technology

Zelfo Technology develops sustainable materials and processes. The team specialises in examining the potential for optimised or reconfigured cellulose fibre for use in all cellulose matrixes or as value giving additives in other materials and media.

As a result of an earlier acquisition the directors of Zelfo Technology have direct control of the original Zelfo® patent and they have a depth of knowledge that traces back to the origins of the material itself in the 1990’s. To substantiate this base the existing patent has since been bolstered by the addition of both product and process based patents.

Current key areas of interest include the moulding and processing of natural fibres, much of which is carried out together with the French bio-based materials laboratory AGROMAT.

In addition the team can in addition draw upon expertise that includes over forty years of research and development within the pulp, paper, board and allied industries, specialising in the use of non-wood fibres for paper and board manufacture, waste minimisation and in paper coating. Furthermore the Technical Director has represented UNIDO, European Investment Bank, Pira and the British Government in a range of international projects.

Along with pulp and paper based industry relationships Zelfo Technology also has a linkage to Cross and Bevan and its rich history of invention such as viscose rayon, cellulose acetate, the viscoid plastics and cellophane .