SAFI consortium

North Carolina State University (NC State) is launching a global effort to research and develop sustainable and alternative fibers and demonstrate their use for the production of market pulp, hygiene tissue products, packaging, textiles, and nonwoven substrates. The research effort will cover both technical (feedstock preparation, pulping, bleaching, refining) and business (supply chain, techno-economics, life cycle analysis, consumer perception, etc.) aspects.

The work conducted by SAFI (Sustainable and Alternative Fibers Initiative) Consortium will be guided by an industrial steering committee made up of representatives of established companies, start-ups, and educational institutions. The consortium will be directed by Profs. Ronalds Gonzalez and Hasan Jameel and the work will be conducted by an expert committee of faculty from the Department of Forest Biomaterials (NCSU) and industrial representatives. The faculty in the NC State team has more than 200 years of combined experience in the characterization and conversion of lignocellulosic to different types of value-added products. For a full list of our faculty and team members visit The Team page.