The BioComposites Centre (BC) is a designated Scientific Centre of Excellence, which was established in 1989 at the University of Wales, Bangor  with the assistance of the Welsh Development Agency and industry.  It is self financing and carries out contract research on the processing of wood and plant materials. It is staffed by an interdisciplinary team of wood, polymer and material scientists, biologists, chemists and physicists, with many years of experience of research into industrial utilization of wood and plant fibers, and plant polymers. All employees work exclusively on contract research and work is carried out in strict commercial confidence with the same level of attendance given to one-man operations as to multi-national corporations.

The Biocomposites Centre, which has links to the School of Agriculture and Forest Sciences, offers instant access to University expertise and facilities, and the fast response needed for industrial research. The Pulp and Paper activities of the BioComposites Centre are carried out under the name of the Fibre Technology Association.

The BioComposites Centre specializes in industrial contract research on the processing of wood and plant materials such as:

·       Processing and utilization of renewable plant materials.

·       Modification of fibrous and non fibrous tissues of plants and plant polymers to facilitate the production of novel materials.

·       new markets for under-utilized plant resources and residues as industrial feedstocks

·       implementation of new technology in industry

With ten years of experience in the pilot scale production of panel & boards, facilities for the production of MDF and particleboards at the BioComposites Centre are wide-ranging and versatile. The ability to produce and test panels from 100mm diameter to 1000mm square facilitates the development of a wide range of products. All stages of the production process can be closely monitored and varied as required, from refiner pressure and particle size to the rate of cooling of the pressed panel.  The plant is staffed by a crew of wood scientists, fitters, mechanics and chemists. The pilot plant has full access to the expertise offered by other sections of the BioComposites Centre.  All work is carried out in strict commercial confidence and the same level of attendance given to one-man operations as to multi-national corporations.

The MDF pilot plant at the BioComposites Centre consists of a continuous, pressurized refiner, a blowline connecting the refiner to a flash drier, a former, cold pre-press and hot press. The throughput of the refiner is between 30 and 60 kg/hr, depending on the raw material being processed.  

With this pilot plant BC performed test on MDF board with bamboo as a subcontractor in the FAIR project “Bamboo for Europe”. MDF testing was performed by BC for University Gent, contractor in the FAIR project.  The results of these tests indicated that bamboo was among the best non-wood fibers for MDF.