MONTREAL, March 25, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CelluForce is pleased to announce an investment into the company by Schlumberger, the world's leading supplier of technology, integrated project management and information solutions for the global oil and gas industry. This investment furthers the collaboration between CelluForce and Schlumberger to explore the use of CelluForce's wood-derived nano-crystalline cellulose (CelluForce NCCTM) to enhance the productivity of oil and gas wells.
"We are very proud to be expanding our partnership with Schlumberger, the world's leading oil and gas service company", stated René Goguen, Acting President of CelluForce. "We have always believed that NCC applications hold promise extending far beyond the forest sector, and we see this investment from an international company as respected as Schlumberger as confirmation of this belief."
NCC is a fundamental building block of trees that can be extracted from the forest biomass and has unique properties that offer a wide range of potential applications. Measured in units as small as nanometres, these tiny structures have strength properties comparable to steel and will have uses in a variety of industrial sectors.
The first small-scale NCC pilot plant was built and began operation in 2006 at FPInnovations' laboratory in Montréal, Québec. Supported in part by Natural Resources Canada and the Ministère de l'Énergie et des Ressources naturelles du Québec, the pilot plant operation led to a scalable NCC production process and placed Canada in the pole position of the global race towards commercial NCC manufacture. Based on the success of the small-scale pilot plant, CelluForce, a joint venture of Domtar and FPInnovations, was created which led to the construction of a demonstration plant at Domtar's mill in Windsor, Québec, having a production capacity of 1000 kg of NCC per day.
This announcement follows the recent announcement by the Honourable Greg Rickford, Minister of Natural Resources, of a $4.0 million contribution by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) to optimize the extraction process of NCC from dry wood pulp and develop applications for its use in the oil and gas sector.
About CelluForce
CelluForce Inc. is the world leader in the commercial development of NanoCrystalline Cellulose (CelluForce NCC™) also referred to as Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC). The company is a joint venture of Domtar Inc. and FPInnovations. CelluForce manufactures NCC/CNC in the world's first pre-commercial demonstration plant of its kind, located in Windsor, Québec and is building the market for the material by developing new applications for NCC/CNC with several industrial collaborators. The company's head office is in Montreal. www.celluforce.com