SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK is investing £250,000 in what it claims is a “ground-breaking” recycling technology.

The “world-first” technology recovers wood fibre from recycled medium density fibreboard (MDF) waste, as an alternative to landfilling or incinerating the waste material.

The investment will support the next stage of MDF Recovery’s growth as it takes its technology to the commercial market after more than six years of research and development.

More than 50 million tonnes of MDF is produced globally every year for the furniture, construction and DIY markets.

MDF Recovery believes it could recycle between 30,000 and 60,000 tonnes of MDF waste every year in Europe and 2.7 million could be recycled worldwide.

Principal markets for MDF include the UK, Continental Europe, US, Russia, Brazil and China.

Stuart Hayward-Higham, SUEZ Technical Development Director said: “The technology should literally give a new prolonged shelf-life for MDF, one of the most popular materials across the construction and furniture industry.

“Zero waste production for the wood component of MDF is now a real possibility.”