Feds invest $1.2 million for polymer/wood-fibre material for automotive applications

The Government of Canada is investing $1.2 million in Toronto-based material supplier GreenNano Technologies Inc. (GNT) so the company can scale up production of a new lightweight wood-fibre–based composite material to create automotive parts.

In a statement, the government said the project will combine wood pulp with polymers to create a special strong and lightweight thermoplastic with more uniform and improved properties compared to other products. “The new product, if successfully applied in the automotive sector, could have a number of consumer and commercial applications, including aerospace parts, pharmaceuticals, solar panels and cosmetics,” the statement said.

GNT is also collaborating with Ford Canada’s Power Engineering Research and Development Centre, located in Windsor, Ont., to test the new material in the production of lightweight car parts.

“We are pushing our boundaries to transform green innovations in achieving cost-effective, high-throughput technical products, which are energy-efficient and environmentally sound,” said Samir Konar, GNT’s vice president. “We are very proud of the project we are undertaking, and we are excited about the partnership we have developed with Natural Resources Canada.”

Funding for this project is provided through the Investments in Forest Industry Transformation program, which encourages the Canadian forest sector to adopt and implement unique technologies and processes to diversify into new product streams and into emerging markets.