Upscaling for a sustainable industry

Upscaling and testing of concepts in a real environment in industry is important to minimize risks, create acceptance and promote commercialization of solutions that contribute to sustainability and climate change.

- We have taken note that it is being done very well already today and that there are several ongoing initiatives that have great potential but are in relatively early stages of development. We need to create the conditions for them to grow into pilot and demonstration projects that in the long run can be turned into industrial solutions that make a difference. The investment will contribute to strengthening the Swedish industry's competitiveness and if the solutions are internationally distributed, they can also create global climate benefits, which is something we hope for, says Ida Langborg, who leads Vinnova's work in the area of Sustainable industry.

Vinnova is now investing a total of SEK 87 million in 13 project for further development and scaling up of solutions. The projects are about collaborations that open up for a change process where entire ecosystems and value chains are covered.

- In this initiative, we chose not to delimit the focus to any great extent. This resulted in project proposals that represent a great breadth in the field of Sustainable industry, and which confirm that there are many good ideas and ideas. The financed upscaling projects also reflect the breadth of the area, says Anders Marén, responsible for the investment in Vinnova.

Some of the funding projects that receive funding:

Algae ink for non-toxic and low-carbon textile dyeing

Textile dyeing accounts for almost two percent of the world's global carbon dioxide emissions. It is also water and chemical intensive. Based on digital spray technology and algae inks based on color pigments from microalgae, the aim of the project is to introduce a more resource-efficient and resilient value chain for textile dyeing that reduces water and energy consumption by 90 percent and reduced carbon dioxide emissions in the same order of magnitude. At the end of the project, at least four prototypes from participating brands must be ready for the market.

The project is led by Wargön Innovation AB

Ice-free wind power

Wind power in cold climates means problems with ice formation on the blades of wind turbines, which leads to loss of production and damage to the blades. The project's objective is to address the problem by scaling up an innovative de-icing method and a system that simplifies repair of damaged blades. The solutions have been tested at demo plants in Malå, Västerbotten and the aim is to refine the technology to adapt to the real needs and design-wise develop the solutions to be able to function more optimally in wind power production.

The project is led by Lindskog Innovation AB

Lead purification of brass - recycling of brass metal with a high lead content

In the near future, there is a risk that metal waste from brass with high lead contents will not be recycled due to new EU legislation which from 2025 requires brass alloys to have a maximum lead content of 0.1 percent. Today, there is a lack of cost-effective methods for purifying brass from lead, but Nordic Brass has developed a method that separates copper, zinc and lead from brass scrap. Thereby, existing brass with higher lead contents can be made useful as recycled input material even for alloys with low lead content. In the project, the solution will be scaled up in a demonstration facility that corresponds to a small production scale.

The project is led by Nordic Brass Gusum AB