Papelera Concepción), the first industrial test was achieved.
The amount of funding raised is confidential.
CMPC https://www.cmpc.com/
FPC http://www.fpc.cl/
How long was it before the research resulted in a commercially viable product?
Since the generation of the idea, we have been in this development for eight years. We achieved the first successful and scalable proof of concept at the CMPC R&D Center in 2015, the characterization of physicomechanical and antimicrobial properties in 2016, the second proof of concept in 2017 (in which antifungal properties were added), and a third proof of concept and first successful industrial trial in 2022 (wherein we achieved a paper with antimicrobial, antifungal and antiviral properties including SARS-CoV2). We are currently working on solving some technological challenges for its industrial production and in the realization of a commercially viable product.
You mentioned how research has concluded that paper has antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. How was that investigation carried out? Are there research papers that support such findings?
The work of the team made it possible to
optimize the process of incorporating copper
microparticles between the cellulose fibers and to validate their antibacterial, antifungal, and even antiviral effectiveness against SARS-CoV2. In doing so, it became a technology that limits fomite transmission and offers the possibility of being applied in various
areas where paper is the main component. For example, this creates a means for its potential application in the areas of construction, health, design, packaging, the development of filters, sensors, in the fashion industry, furniture, among many others. Other applications of this material are diverse and range from the manufacture of medical supplies, food packaging (mainly fruits and vegetables for export), and others as diverse as wallpaper, paper money, among others.
The tests and trials were developed at the INTA Technical Assistance Department of the University of Chile, at the Institute of Sciences and Innovation in Medicine (ICIM) and at the BSL3 Laboratory, USAIN LAB, Applied Virology Unit, School of Medicine, Pontificia Catholic University of Chile.
You mentioned that researchers believe your product would find commercial applications in food packaging and building construction. Are other commercial applications anticipated?
Cu paper is a technology that contemplates a mechanism for the addition of copper
26