AgriFoodX Awarded Henry Royce Institute Funding for OptiFib Project
1 October 2025
AgriFoodX has been successful in the Henry Royce Institute Industrial Collaboration Programme (Round 5) for the OptiFib project. Running from October 2025 to February 2026, OptiFib will characterise and optimise blends of highly fibrillated cellulose fibres (HFCFs) derived from agri-food by-products for use in sustainable paper packaging. The project builds on the successful HiFib programme, which demonstrated the FibreForce™ process at pilot scale with DS Smith PLC. Working with the University of Manchester and Biopower Technologies, the consortium will evaluate how blended HFCFs from multiple by-product sources can provide consistent fibre supplementation for commercial paper mills, reducing dependence on imported wood pulp.