A new wood acetylation reactor was successfully set into place at the Accsys Technologies’ production facility in Arnhem, the Netherlands.
‘Reactor 4’ will increase annual production capacity of Accoya wood by one third: from ~60,000 m3 to ~80,000 m3 per year, and is expected to begin production by the end of the 1Q 2022 calendar year.
Weighing around 65 tonnes, and stretching over 14 metres in length, the reactor is a feat of modern high precision engineering. With Accsys’ Arnhem facility designed to accommodate this expansion, work to prepare the site has progressed well, with the company also taking on five additional process operators to support the planning for commissioning and increased Accoya wood production ahead.
The addition of a fourth reactor to the Arnhem site is part of Accsys’ ‘5x by 2025’ growth plan, which aims to increase production capacity fivefold from 40,000 m3 per annum in 2018 to 200,000 m3 a year in 2025. Other steps in the growth strategy include deploying new technology with the world’s first wood chip acetylation plant in Hull which will produce Tricoya wood elements, and, through the joint venture with Eastman Chemical Company, the proposed ‘copy’ of the successful Arnhem Accoya plant into the USA.
Accsys is the fast-growing and eco-friendly company that combines chemistry and technology to create high performance, sustainable wood building products.
