{"id":1180,"date":"2025-12-18T19:05:57","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T18:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/finvalia.es\/steam-explosion\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T19:12:37","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T18:12:37","slug":"steam-explosion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/finvalia.es\/en\/steam-explosion\/","title":{"rendered":"Steam Explosion: when 1926 innovation drives the circular economy of MDF"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At Finvalia, we believe that looking to the past can open doors to the future<\/strong>. A good example is the steam explosion <\/strong>technology, patented in 1926 by Mason, a disciple of Thomas Edison, to obtain fibers from wood chips.
Nearly a century later, we are bringing it back to tackle one of the sector\u2019s major challenges: recycling MDF boards and giving them a second life beyond combustion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does steam explosion work?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The process involves introducing small pieces of MDF into a reactor filled with saturated steam<\/strong>, ensuring an adequate residence time before suddenly releasing the pressure. This instant change increases the specific volume of the steam and creates tensile forces that break the resin bonds <\/strong>and separate the fibers without damaging them, leaving them ready to manufacture new products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pilot objectives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Scale up the technique<\/strong>: move from lab tests to a pilot line capable of processing 1 t\/h, and in a second phase, 2 t\/h of post-consumer MDF.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Close the fiber loop<\/strong>: reintegrate the recovered material into the production of panels and other high-value composites.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Reduce waste and CO\u2082<\/strong>: lower the fraction sent to incineration and the associated carbon footprint.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Explore new biorefineries<\/strong>: take advantage of resulting streams (lignin, extractives, etc.) to obtain renewable chemical products.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Expected results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Recover up to 90% of the fiber <\/strong>with mechanical properties comparable to virgin wood.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Save energy<\/strong> compared to traditional defibration processes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Generate new raw materials <\/strong>for adhesives, biocomposites or turpentines, opening up sustainable business lines.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Demonstrate the industrial viability<\/strong> of a circular model applicable to other plants and lignocellulosic materials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      With this pilot, Finvalia once again shows that innovation also means rediscovering forgotten technologies<\/strong> and adapting them to today\u2019s challenges. We will continue to share progress and how a discovery from 1926 can make a difference in the technical wood of 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      How an early 20th-century technology is being updated to manufacture the MDF of the future<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1174,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSteam explosion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We explain how an early 20th-century technology is being updated to 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