According to a Sept. 21, 2018 report by Pulp & Paper Canada, researchers working as part of a consortium in South Africa that will focus on and develop opportunities for traditionally wasted by-products from the P&P industry have developed a novel process to produce cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) directly from wood sawdust, without the need for the conventional pulping and bleaching processes that are currently used to isolate CNC from wood.

CNCs are high-value materials that currently sell for approximately $1,000 per kg according to the report. They are typically produced from high-purity wood-derived cellulose products such as microcrystalline cellulose, so producing CNC from wood sawdust is an achievement. 

The CNCs produced at the BIDF will be used by other consortium members for downstream development of various CNC-based products, such as high-performance composites for packaging and construction applications, biopolymers for water filtration and biomedical applications, as well as biobinders produced from sawdust and castor oil.