JAPAN -- Nippon Paper Industries says it plans to build a large-scale cellulose nanofiber (CNF) production facility at the Ishinomaki mill in Miyagi, Japan.

This facility will produce CNF from wood pulp that is chemically treated by the TEMPO catalytic oxidation method.

A total of 1.6 billion yen ($14.5 million) will be invested on the facility, and an annual production capacity is 500 tons. It is scheduled to begin its operation in April 2017.

This project reinforces the Ishinomaki mill's foundations as a production base of CNF, a new material, in addition to printing and information paper business, power generation business, and recycling business.

This new facility will make the Ishinomaki mill one of the core mills of Nippon Paper Industries, "a comprehensive biomass company shaping the future with trees."

TEMPO-oxidized CNF is made from wood fiber (pulp) that is finely defibrated to the nano-level and completely nano-dispersed with uniform fiber widths of 3 to 4 nm and high crystalinity. It has also exhibits unique and outstanding features that are not found in conventional materials, such as lightweight, a high modulus of elasticity, good dimensional stability against heat, and high gas barrier property.