Researchers develop ‘cleaner’ biomass plant for textiles

RIVERSIDE - Researchers at the University of California Riverside (UCR) have unveiled a pilot-scale 'cleaner' biomass processing plant that claims to turns low-value forestry and agricultural waste into high‑grade textile pulp.

The two‑storey facility, housed at UCR’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE‑CERT), uses a patented co‑solvent enhanced lignocellulosic fractionation (CELF) process to convert materials such as forest thinning debris, orchard prunings and corn stalks into dissolving pulp suitable for rayon and lyocell production.