São Paulo, April 24, 2020 – Klabin, Brazil’s largest producer and exporter of packaging paper, in partnership with the SENAI Institute for Innovation in Biosynthetics and Fibers (a SENAI CETIQT organization) and cosmetics manufacturer Apoteka, concluded, in record time, testing for the production of alcohol gel made from microfibrillated pulp (MFC). The new product, which is extracted from wood, substitutes carbopol, an important component in the production of alcohol gel, whose price currently is high due to growing global demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The innovative effort, which was made over two weeks, was headed by a group of some six researchers and a team of 20 people from the two companies and the institute who were directly involved. The first volume, of 60 kilos, already is in the phase of testing and adaptation for use. The concept of using microfibrillated pulp emerged from Klabin’s Technology Center, and the product was made at the company’s recently inaugurated Pilot Mill Complex, located in Telêmaco Borba, Paraná. The complex was designed to produce, on a small industrial scale, both MFC and lignin, which are substances extracted from wood.

“One of the Technology Center’s research routes focuses on the various uses of wood. We have enormous potential for extracting new products from our main raw material, the trees from our planted forests. Using nanocellulose to make alcohol gel reaffirms the countless possibilities of renewable resources that lie ahead,” noted Francisco Razzolini, Director of Industrial Technology, Sustainability, Projects and Pulp Business at Klabin. “We are very satisfied with the result of this project and, given our belief that every attitude counts, hope that this will be another Klabin action that contributes to the fight the coronavirus.”

The product is being approved by Brazil’s National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), but it already has technical reports attesting to its antibacterial properties, which are important in the fight against COVID-19. Moreover, the MFC used for this purpose is a specific kind of nanocellulose that is more homogeneous and hydrates the skin, which helps to prevent the dryness caused by continuous use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers. After obtaining the necessary approvals, the expectation is for the product to quickly go into production to meet market demand.

Photo:  On the left, the alcohol gel developed by the companies and the institute, in the background, the alcohol gel, and on the right, the MFC.

“Times like these demand intense collaboration and agility in the search for solutions that mitigate the effects of the pandemic in our country. The effort made in partnership with Klabin and Apoteka demonstrate the capacity to respond to needs and the organization of our national research base when provoked. We believe in the potential of the renewables industry in Brazil, especially in the pulp industry, where MFC is just one of the potential new products that can be obtained from wood. We are proud to contribute to the fight against coronavirus while creating value for companies and society through an innovation achieved in record time. We believe that this is one of SENAI’s roles,” said João Bruno Valentim, Coordinator of the SENAI Institute for Innovation in Biosynthetics and Fibers.

“Faced with this crisis, Apoteka believes that as a company it has the responsibility to do its part in the fight against the coronavirus. By joining efforts with Klabin and Senai, we were able to quickly identify a formula for alcohol gel that replaces carbopol, the material that is most commonly used, but which currently is experiencing high demand and high prices. MFC, besides being sustainable, produces an alcohol gel with the same quality and efficiency, while offering a moisturizing effect. After foregoing for the moment the exclusive production of cosmetics, such as sunscreens and make-up, and structuring its production to make over 600 kilos of alcohol gel per day, Apoteka is proud to stand alongside great partners to meet the needs of the public,” said Corina Godoy Cunha, director and responsible for Apoteka’s R&D team.

Photo: On the left, the alcohol gel developed by the companies and the institute, in the background, the alcohol gel, and on the right, the MFC.