CIOL - product expansion towards a larger market

CIOL® is a new, low cost, non-toxic wood modification system, needed to replace traditional and non-sustainable alternatives with great potential for CIOL AS. It’s now the right moment to find sustainable, environmentally friendly replacements to heavy metals and biocide treatment of wood. Authorities are looking for new solutions to avoid the use of heavy metals and biocides in treatment of wood products and the release of these substrates into the environment. The use of heavy metals is currently being evaluated by the Biocide Directive in the EU, who have expressed a strong need to replace heavy metals with environmentally safe alternatives. Concrete, steel and plastics are alternative materials to modified wood, but all are far less sustainable and have higher climate gas emissions in both production and use. The modification by pressure impregnation of wood with CIOL®, from non-fossil sources, will significantly improve wood properties and the climate footprint of protected wood. CIOL AS has now developed this technology to solve other areas of use, other sources of timber and other use-classes, towards an industrial scale production capability. This project har focused on research and development of new use areas of the innovation, their regulatory demands and focus towards potential production of products in an industrial trial with customers. This will add value to the company, to timber producers, to end-users and fulfil several UN sustainability goals through innovative and applied research and development. CIOL is utterly dependent on constant innovation to create a viable business model, have competitive edge and to continue to deliver solutions to industry.

CIOL AS believe that there will be an increased demand for new alternatives to heavy metal treatment. CIOL®, being environmentally safe, can replace the entire copper impregnation market at competitive prices, by a simple retrofit of existing equipment and without major alterations to the existing work flow these customers already use. This transitional innovation will fulfil UN sustainability goals 12-15. Through this project we have been able to employ new technology to new use areas, made our producvt ready for regulatory certification and expanded the market potential.