Co-founded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
About the LIFE TreeTex project
In 2022, a grant agreement for the LIFE TreeTex project was accepted by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA), acting under powers delegated by the European Commission. CINEA serves as the EU’s executive agency and granting authority for the project.
The project is the first of its kind to demonstrate an all-alkaline production process for innovative cellulose fibers intended for textile applications. It aims to integrate a more efficient pre-treatment step into the pilot facility and to validate the production components and systems at an industrially relevant scale (~1% of full scale) under full operating conditions. This pilot approach will be crucial for replicating and scaling production to other sites across Europe and globally.
Accelerating transformation
The main objective of the LIFE TreeTex project is to scale up and demonstrate the production of a new generation of cellulose fibers for the global market, offering an innovative solution in large volumes.
We strongly believe that this project can support the European Commission in accelerating the transformation of the textile sector by introducing an attractive, smart, and resource- and energy-efficient fiber solution to both the European and global markets.
Sub-objectives
The LIFE TreeTex project includes the following sub-objectives:
- Verify the innovative pre-treatment process at pilot scale (1% of full scale) and full operating conditions to produce textile fibres, including processes that can lower chemical demand, energy consumption,
secure raw material availability, and total production costs. - Develop and verify a flexible design concept that can be used for construction of full-scale facilities, in order to ensure a competitive production cost of the cellulosic fibres.
- Test and quality control of the cellulosic fibres when used in relevant textile applications.
- Disseminate the outcome of the project to potential stakeholders and target groups in Europe.
- Perform a fast replication and commercialization, based upon the results of the demonstration.
As part of the LIFE TreeTex project, the construction of a new chemical storage building at the Nymölla demo plant has started, which is necessary to make space for the new pretreatment technology.
News about the LIFE TreeTex project
Progress report
| Milestones during the project’s 59 months; September 2023 – July 2028 | Status |
|---|---|
| 1. Kick off meeting | Done |
| 2. Project completion | Not ready |
| 3. Program for measurements and evaluation completed | Draft ready, due in month 27 |
| 4. Trial runs completed | Not ready, due in month 40 |
| 5. Demonstrations successfully completed | Not ready, due in month 58 |
| 6. Successful evaluation of pilot production process including pre-treatment step | Not ready, due in month 55 |
| 7. Project website launched | Ready |
| 8. Business plan completed |
