Furfural

Furfural is an important biobased platform chemical which is used in a wide variety of industrial applications including foundry resins, solvents and crop protection products. 

In many cases, biobased furfural replaces products which would otherwise be made from fossil fuels.  Nearly all furfural produced globally is manufactured by the hydrolysis of corn cobs – a process which is energy intensive and has significant environmental challenges.

Sappi has developed innovative technology for the production of furfural using the hemicellulose co-product of our Verve cellulose operations.  By using the co-product, we are able to maximise the portion of the tree used to make renewable value-added products – and underpin our furfural production with the same sustainability and forest stewardship credentials of Verve production.  The Sappi technology is fully integrated with the pulp production technology, enabling a significant reduction in the carbon footprint of furfural production.
 
Sappi is moving towards commercialisation of this product and is seeking commercial partners and maximise our ability to potentially provide wood sugars for emerging uses. We are able to supply representative furfural samples.

New developments in wood processing supports the move to a biobased economy that utilises materials that are renewable and biodegradable and that do not compete with food sources.