The Alliance for Pulp & Paper Technology Innovation (APPTI) has organized a webinar series entitled “Biobased Materials for Advanced Manufacturing” to highlight the nanocellulose research being conducted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Maine, and 20+ industrial partners under their multi-year $40 million bio-derived materials research collaboration funded by the Department of Energy.

In a testament to the exciting commercial opportunities that exist for cellulose nanomaterials, the University of Maine Process Development Center (PDC) recently reported that since 2013 they have distributed over 4 tons of cellulose nanomaterials (CNM) to over 600 organizations worldwide, including over 300 companies and 275 universities.

In a study published by BioResources, Nadir Yildirim of The University of Maine created adhesive-free bio-based suspended ceiling tiles using nanocellulose.

During a review meeting at the USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) in Madison, Wisconsin, the USDA Forest Service and the US Endowment for Forestry and Communities discussed a public-private partnership named P3Nano examined projects in which they had co-invested in 2016 in an effort to fund cellulose nanomaterials research ($4 million total, $2 million from FS, $2 million from the partner).

The U.S Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration announced it will invest more than $4 million dollars to diversify and grow Maine’s economy, with funds earmarked for the forest sector.