Health-promoting products out of the spruce saw dust

Problem

The by-products generated by the forestry industry could be refined into products with higher added value, but often these raw materials remain economically unexploited. For example, bark and sawdust is usually incinerated energy plants. In either case, the economic value resulting from the actions is either small or non-existent, in addition to which the course of action causes greenhouse gas emissions.

Solution: Health-promoting products out of the spruce saw dust

Montinutra is currently developing health-promoting products out of for example spruce sawdust. Sprucegum™ hot water extract is made out of spruce sawdust to replace Arabic gum and guar gum for use as an emulsifying and stabilization agents in foodstuffs, for instance. Another product made of sawdust is called Qusitol™, which is used particularly for alleviating lower urinary tract disorders and treating prostate gland enlargement. Montinutra’s solution increases the added value of raw materials generated as by-products of the forestry industry.

Montinutra’s revenue logic and benefits

Business activities will be launched during 2019. Montinutra will produce health-promoting products itself and licences Woodstream™ plant units to be used in the forestry and sawmill industry. The company’s production unit is compact, which makes them easy to move. The solution enables the refining of sawdust into a product with up to 10,000 times higher added value than the value of the raw material if it were to be used for pulp production. The wet sawdust discarded from Montinutra’s process may still be used, for example, as raw material for active biochar or a wood-based product replacing plastic.

Benefits to customers and end users

Montinutra’s solution allows production of health promoting products for food industries. In the future, Sprucegum™ may reduce the adverse environmental effects from land use caused by guar gum production. Qusitol™ is a new kind of natural product for the treatment of urinary tract disorders.