The production

Svenska Aerogel started as a research and development project at KTH’s research institute in Gävle 1997. During several years of research, the technology for manufacturing Quartzene was developed. In 2017, the decision was made to build a facility to produce Quartzene, and “The Master Pilot Plant” in Gävle was in operation late 2019. Today, the production unit has a capacity of 225 tons of Quartzene and is prepared for further expansion with a total capacity of 1000 tons per year.

The manufacturing of Quartzene

Svenska Aerogel’s concept for manufacturing Quartzene is unique and addresses sustainability at several levels. To produce Quartzene, natural resources – silicon, water, and energy – are used in a patented process. Quartzene offers similar material properties as classic aerogels but is more sustainable due to the simplified and less resource demanding manufacturing process.

Sustainability in production

During the fall of 2022, more extensive sustainability work was carried out throughout the organization to prepare us to be ISO 26000 verified. We chose three of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 to inspire our sustainability work. Our choice of SDGs was based on where we have the most influence and where we have the greatest opportunity to contribute to a positive change in terms of climate impact. Most of the needs for change were identified in our production. Since then, activities have been created to, among other things, reduce energy and water consumption and reduce our CO2 footprint.

Our goals within Sustainable production and consumption are

Modules

Svenska Aerogel’s production of Quartzene is designed in modules that can be set up in the customers’ facilities or in customer-dense areas. The modules can be adapted to customer-specific volume needs. This is in line with our ambitions to work for sustainable development in the entire manufacturing chain and contribute to more efficient logistics flows, reducing the need for transport, greenhouse emissions and so on.