Get the most out of your cellulose fibrils sample
Unlock the full potential of your cellulose fibrils sample with the Cellulose Fibrils Academy. Discover valuable insights on how to maximize your lab trials, pilot trials, and full-scale production before ordering a sample of our products. We are here to guide you every step of the way, ensuring you get the most out of your cellulose fibrils.
Step into the Cellulose Fibrils Academy and embark on a journey to unleash the true power of cellulose fibrils. We recognize the significance of handling these fibrils with care, which is why we've curated this academy as your ultimate destination for all the vital knowledge you seek.
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How to disperse and activate our cellulose fibrils
Our microfibrillated cellulose products consist of water-suspended, non-soluble microfibers that find applications in various fields, ranging from cosmetics to paints and adhesives. These unique fibrils form flexible aggregates with a large surface area, facilitating effective interactions with their surroundings. Once fully dispersed, they exhibit exceptional functionality as structured, thixotropic gel systems that are highly influenced by the shear forces applied.
The concentration of our products plays a significant role in determining the appropriate techniques for preparing the suspensions.
Achieving correct dispersion of our celluloe fibrils products is essential in order to unlock their full potential. When working with our 2% gel, a lower shear is sufficient for dispersion into your formulation. However, for our 10% paste, high shear is required. This can be achieved with the use of a stator-rotor homogenizer, such as Ultra Turrax or Silverson, or a low shear high stirring speed propeller or blade mixer. The tip speed is a crucial factor, and we recommend aiming for tip speeds of around 6 m/s to ensure proper dispersion. It's important to note that this recommendation may vary depending on the specific product system being used.
Ensuring proper dispersion of our cellulose fibrils is essential for unlocking their complete potential and achieving optimal functionality.
Resources
Discover the impact of proper dispersion on the final outcome by watching our video.
You are also free to download and print our dispersion guide
How do I properly handle and store my fibrils?
Storage
Proper storage is crucial for maintaining the performance of our cellulose fibrils. Since the fibril network is dispersed in water, it is essential to avoid sub-zero temperatures, as freezing will result in its destruction. To learn more about storage guidelines, feel free to download our detailed storage description here.
The packaging, in which our product is delivered, is not resealable for a long period of time. This is due to evaporation of water and subsequent decrease in product performance.
Material Handling
Our cellulose fibril products are incredibly resilient, able to withstand various challenges including shear forces, pH fluctuations, and changes in temperature. While they demonstrate impressive durability, it is important to keep in mind some key considerations when handling these materials.
- Avoid placing it in freezing temperatures during temporary storage in production sequences as this may jeopardize the fibril network
- Avoid too long piping distances from pumps, as the viscosity build up will take place after the shear is removed
- Make sure to follow Borregaard's guidelines on dispersion time and shear rates when incorporating the material
If you want more detailed information on material handling, you can now download our bulletin.
Resources
Video demonstration: What is Exilva?
Download or product sheet "What is Exilva?"
How much should I dose of this material?
Dosing of our cellulose fibrils is highly dependent on the product and system you enter it into In addition, you need to think through what functionality from the fibrils you are looking for. Our experience is that you should start with 5% dosage of our V-products, and 25% of our L-products.
Oil-in-water emulsions may need higher dosages, for the physical network to be able to stabilize the O/W emulsion.
For barrier air and gas barrier properties, our fibrils can be extremely efficient. Our experience is that you will find abilities to improve your barriers at dosages of 1-5 g/m2.
To give you very rough estimations on dosages for your system, please download our dosage guide. But please remember that these indications are high level and rough, so please contact us if you are interested in testing cellulose fibrils so that we can guide you based on your defined system and our experience.
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