How Biomass Becomes High-Performance Nanocellulose
- info2102904
- Jan 20
- 2 min read
At Soarce, we focus on building advanced materials from renewable inputs. Our core technology converts plant-based biomass into nanocellulose, a material that enables manufactured products to become stronger, lighter, and more efficient without relying on petroleum-based additives.
Nanocellulose is not new. What has limited its adoption is scalability, cost, and consistency. Our process is designed to address those challenges at an industrial level.
Why Seaweed as a Feedstock
Nanocellulose can be produced from many plant sources, but Soarce prioritizes brown macroalgae such as sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) and invasive sargassum.
Seaweed offers several material and processing advantages. It grows rapidly, does not require freshwater, arable land, or fertilizer, and captures carbon efficiently. From a chemical engineering standpoint, sugar kelp contains less than one percent lignin. This low lignin content allows us to avoid harsh delignification steps commonly required for wood-based feedstocks, preserving polymer chain integrity during extraction.
The result is a cleaner starting material and a more efficient refining pathway.
TeraSolv™: Clean Chemistry at Scale
Traditional cellulose processing often depends on toxic solvents and energy-intensive steps that generate hazardous waste. Soarce’s TeraSolv™ system replaces these methods with a natural solvent platform derived from organic acids commonly found in fruits and grains.
This approach delivers several advantages:
Cost efficiency through the use of widely available, industrial-grade inputs
Reduced waste, as the solvent can be reused multiple times or sold as a secondary product
Regulatory resilience, with a non-toxic, non-flammable process aligned with evolving global chemical standards
By minimizing waste and simplifying recovery, TeraSolv™ supports scalable manufacturing without introducing new environmental or regulatory burdens.
TeraCell™ and Tunable Nanocellulose
Through our TeraCell™ refining process, nanocellulose is not only extracted but engineered for specific performance outcomes. This enables plug-and-play functionality across a range of industrial applications.
We currently produce two primary forms:
Seabind™-SK Fibrils, long and entangled fibers that form strong three-dimensional networks. With a Young’s Modulus between 110 and 150 GPa, these fibrils are well-suited for reinforcement in composites, gels, and transparent films.
Seabind™-SK Crystals, shorter rod-like nanoparticles with high crystallinity. These materials provide stiffness and thermal stability and can act as nucleating agents in thermoplastics to promote uniform solidification.
This tunability allows manufacturers to select material behavior without changing their existing processes.
Small Additions, Large Impact
Nanocellulose is effective at low loadings. Even small amounts can significantly improve bulk material performance. We often describe this as a “sprinkle-in” effect.
For example, coating lower-grade carbon fiber with nanocellulose can elevate its mechanical performance to match higher-grade materials. Achieving similar gains through traditional material upgrades typically comes with substantial cost increases. In contrast, nanocellulose enables performance improvements with minimal additional material cost and no major production changes.
This approach allows existing materials, from composites and concrete to textiles, to be upgraded rather than replaced.
Looking Forward
By transforming renewable biomass into advanced nanomaterials, Soarce is helping industries reduce reliance on petroleum-based additives while improving performance and supply chain stability.
As manufacturing moves toward more efficient and sustainable material systems, nanocellulose offers a practical path forward. Not by replacing existing processes, but by making them better.
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