SBIR Phase I: Thermal Insulation from Paper Mill Wastes

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is the potential to produce superior, cost effective thermal insulation using paper mill short fiber residuals (SFR) alone or in addition to pulp from increasingly available old cardboard cartons (OCC). This will be an important step in eliminating thousands of tons of paper mill wastes being disposed of in landfills each day. Cellulose insulation is in demand by builders and retrofitters because of its superior performance, safety, and environmental benefits. This project could expand knowledge on the use of forest products and directed towards energy efficiency and sustainability enhancements in insulation applications. The technical objectives of this Phase I research project are to research and prove the feasibility of combining SFR, a waste by-product from linerboard mills now being disposed of in landfills, with pulp from increasingly abundant OCC to produce a superior cellulose insulation that can be cost-effectively employed to insulate buildings and enhance environmental sustainaiblity. The manufacturing process embeds fire-retardant chemicals directly into the insulation's cellulose fibers thus eliminating loose powder-waste and respiratory problems from chemical-containing airborne dust. The research project will run controlled sets of experiments utilizing various blends of SFR and OCC in order to quantify relationships between various process factors and desired product characteristics for applications in traditional wooden structures as well as for spray-applications in increasingly necessary metal buildings. A successful outcome from this project will facilitate commercialization of a product that out-performs competing insulation products and that can be sustainably produced at dramatically lower costs - transforming the entire insulation industry by turning industrial wastes into superior thermal insulation.