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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HONEXT (Bringing HONEXT to the market)

Teaser

Summary

We have developed Honext, a high-end reclaimed material that aims at substituting some of the most widely used construction materials, such as fibreboards (especially MDF) and plasterboard, which have a huge environmental impact. Honext is a healthy material (recyclable and no toxic emissions), made from cellulosic waste generated by the paper industry that would otherwise be sent to landfill or burnt.
The following objectives of our Honext project are in process:
1) Fine tuning the production of Honext at an industrial level
2) Demonstrating and validating the characteristics of the new material to the construction and furniture industry
3) Generating a powerful brand fully aligned with Honext principles that will create a community of collaborators
4) Preparing the production technology and business model for a fast scalability and a big impact (environment, job creation and economic) around Europe.

Work performed

Over the past 12 months we have focused our efforts on scaling up and fine tuning the production technology as well as the process parameters. Prior to the project got funded, we built an industrial demonstrator placed in a landfill closed to Barcelona (Spain), where all the utilities (water, gas, electricity) we use are generated from waste. Once we finished the plant construction, we focused all our efforts on adapting the production recipe used in the laboratory and pilot plant, both batch productions, to the new continuous production equipment. This includes raw materials concentrations, new additives, enzymatic and chemical reactions\' residence time,... as well as understanding the limitations of the demonstration site equipment to identify future improvements.
This goal required several months, due to the equipment complexity and high level of automation of the demonstration site.
However, we finally succeeded and established a production recipe to manufacture Honext boards meeting the market.
In parallel to the site start-up, we have started the process to achieve all necessary certifications for Honext to enter the market. Some of the certifications focus on the technical side of the material (European Assessment Document) whereas other are meant to analyse and prove its unique sustainable profile.
Since the start of the project we have also put a lot of effort in reaching market visibility, through:
1) Creating a new brand identity, Honext, that reflects all our values, such as sustainability, transparency, honesty... Together with the new identity we have developed a new website to better explains our project.
2) Attending construction & furniture fairs and exhibitions, such as Smart City Expo Barcelona, Ecobuild London, JEC Show Paris and Rebuild Madrid, among others, to let a broad audience know about Honext.
3) Holding individual meetings with potential clients, such as architects and construction companies, with the aim to introduce Honext in highly visible projects.
4) Interviewing potential Honext\'s installers to come up with the most suitable installation system.
Finally, as detailed in the explanation for project amendment request we have just started to study potential modifications to the production recipe to improve Honext\'s mechanical properties and therefore be suitable to be used in a broader range of applications. All potential new raw material or additive for our process first go through a screening to ensure they are sustainable, especially regarding material composition and emissions.

Final results

Every year in Europe the Paper Mills generate thousands of tons of primary sludge, their main process residue. Up to now there were three potential methods to get rid of this waste : (1) burning it to generate thermal energy, which requires a high investment and is not very efficient due to the high percentage of water and inorganics in the residue; (2) composting, even though the sludge poor composition does not enrichen the compost mixture; and finally (3) disposed of in landfills. None of these three methods get value out of the waste, but their goal is to get rid of it at the lowest cost.
Thanks to the successful process start-up and production recipe that we have developed during the SME Instrument Phase II project, now there is a new way for Paper Mills to treat the primary. Honext\'s technology does not only upcycle the residue by recovering the cellulose fibres but is also designed to have no environmental impact and low energy consumption.
Regarding Honext boards, we do not only use waste as raw material but all additives used in the process comply with the upmost sustainability criteria, moving forward from current linear (harvest virgin RM - manufacture - use - dispose) mass market materials such as MDF and plasterboard and contributing in the transformation of the construction industry into a circular model (upcycle residue - manufacture - use - recycle). The start-up implemented during the SME Phase II Project first period has validated Honext production technology at an industrial scale and now, in the second half of the Project, we will focus our effort on increasing the visibility and user cases of Honext material.
Therefore we are on the right path to offer the Paper Mills an industrial process to transform their most troublesome waste into a new revenue stream, generating new jobs in the industrial sector as well as reducing the environmental impact of both the Paper Mill and the Construction industry.