Today, materials such as the synthetic plastic EVOH and aluminium foil dominate the market. Recycling these materials incorporated in a multilayer structure is complicated. In addition, prices of crude oil and metals are expected to increase further in the future. Therefore, the packaging industry has a great interest in finding renewable, cost efficient and functional alternatives.

Xylophane AB’s barrier is based on the biopolymer xylan which can be extracted from agricultural and forest residuals. The process consists of three main steps: chemical treatment, membrane filtration and drying.

Master Thesis

A relatively large amount of alkali is used to extract xylan from the residuals that Xylophane AB uses as raw material, To minimise the environmental stress and improve the process economy, it is desirable to recycle as much alkali as possible. The recycling process can be achieved by using the two unit operations membrane filtration and evaporation. During the thesis work different membranes will be tested. It will also be studied how the parameter set-up will affect the quality of the recycled solution. The last part of the thesis work will be an examination of how the manufacturing process is affected when recycled alkali is being used.

This master thesis is suitable for students in chemical engineering, preferably with specialisation in process technology. We are looking for a person who is interested in working in an innovative and technology oriented company.

For further information, please contact:

Maria Gröndahl                                         Mathias Danielsson

Phone: 031-772 80 56                            Phone: 031-772 80 54

maria.grondahl@xylophane.com         mathias.danielsson@xylophane.com