MDF Recovery receives £250,000 investment from Suez

The U.K.-based company MDF Recovery has received an investment of £250,000 ($305,000) from the Paris-based environmental services firm Suez Recycling to further develop its medium-density fibreboard (MDF) recycling technology.

MDF Recovery says it recently completed proof-of-concept trials to develop a commercially viable process to recover wood fibre from used or offcuts of MDF to offer what it calls the first-ever alternative to landfilling or incinerating MDF as part of an energy recovery solution for excess fibreboard.

According to MDF Recovery, the Suez investment will support the next stage of growth as the business takes its technology to the commercial market after more than six years of research and development.

The company estimates that more than 50 million tonnes of MDF are produced globally every year.

Craig Bartlett, MDF Recovery co-founder and managing director, says, “The Suez investment provides a significant boost to MDF Recovery in our quest to commercialize the technology to make single use MDF a thing of the past. The recovered fibre produced by the process is of the same high quality as fibre obtained from virgin wood and can be used as a direct substitute in the manufacturing process. The timing of the Suez investment is perfect as we are already in discussions with several potential customers and partners within the industry who recognize the significance of what we are doing. The MDF Recovery technology can be retro-fitted or designed into new plants and offers a robust solution for reworking waste and increasing the yield at the MDF manufacturing facility.”

In addition to SUEZ and Innovate UK funding, the business is also backed by a group of outside investors.