MDF Recovery

What MDF Recovery does

MDF Recovery Ltd is a UK-based clean-tech company that has developed and patented a proprietary process (marketed as MDFR®) for recovering high-quality, undamaged wood fibres from waste Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF). The technology uses a low-temperature, low-energy, low-water ohmic-heating-based disaggregation process operating at atmospheric pressure without chemicals, complemented by AI-powered optical sorting (>95% waste purity) and controlled hydrolysis that washes out resin fragments to reduce formaldehyde carry-over. The firm was founded around 2009, completed proof-of-concept trials in 2018, secured an EU Seal of Excellence and registered trademarks in 2020, and is headquartered in Manchester with a second office at the M-SParc science park in Anglesey.

The company monetises the technology through licensing rather than direct manufacturing. It has an exclusive global integration partnership with IMAL PAL Group (the third-largest OEM equipment supplier in the forest products sector) for delivering turnkey recycling plants to panel-board manufacturers, a multi-year exclusive UK & Ireland licence to W. Howard Ltd for producing loose-fill wood-fibre insulation (Pillo) with the first commercial plant targeted for Q1 2026 at Newton, Powys, and regional representation via Turcomdecor in Turkey. Targeted customer segments are MDF/panel-board manufacturers, insulation manufacturers, furniture and joinery producers, and waste-management operators, with the technology positioned to deliver up to 50% fibre cost savings, up to 20% production capacity uplift, and up to 26% carbon footprint reduction versus virgin-fibre boards. Total disclosed funding to date is approximately £1.7m (Oct 2023 seed from OnePlanetCapital) plus earlier Innovate UK and EU grant support.

Name

MDF Recovery

Legal name

MDF Recovery Ltd

Website

https://mdfrecovery.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MDF Recovery Ltd is a UK clean-tech company that licenses a patented low-energy ohmic-heating process for recovering high-quality wood fibres from waste MDF, serving panel-board manufacturers, insulation producers, and waste-management operators globally through partners such as IMAL PAL Group and W. Howard Ltd.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling Technology and Circular Materials

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Paper Mills (2621)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Materials Recovery (Carpet, Mattresses, Bulky Items) (EUAIADAL)

Keywords

• MDF recycling technology
• Wood fibre recovery
• Waste panelboard recycling
• Circular economy materials
• Recycling process licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Beaumaris

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: MDF Recovery licenses its patented technology to manufacturers for use in their production facilities. The licensing model includes technology deployment, integration support, and ongoing operational guidance through partners like PAL. Customers pay for access to the recycling technology and process know-how.
2. Turnkey Solution Provision: The company provides complete end-to-end recycling solutions including design, installation, and commissioning of recycling plants through its partnership with PAL. This includes bespoke design and layout to meet individual customer needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MDF Recovery develops and licenses the patented MDFR® recycling technology, a low-cost, low-energy, low-water process that recovers high quality wood fibres from waste MDF through proprietary disaggregation and ohmic heating. The technology is sold through licensing agreements and turnkey recycling plant solutions, often delivered in partnership with PAL (IMAL PAL Group), and supports both MDF/particleboard manufacturers reintegrating fibres into production and insulation manufacturers producing products such as the Pillo wood fibre insulation line.

Product overview

MDF Recovery offers a core patented recycling technology (MDFR®) that recovers high-quality wood fibres from waste MDF through a low-cost, low-energy, low-water process. The company licenses this technology to manufacturers (MDF Manufacturing Licensing, Insulation Manufacturing Licensing) and waste management operators. The recovered fibres support two primary end-products: (1) reintegration into new MDF/particleboard production, and (2) production of natural fibre insulation, marketed under the Pillo sub-brand by licensee W. Howard Ltd.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pillo: Natural fibre insulation product made from recovered MDF fibres, designed for thermal and acoustic insulation in construction and packaging applications.

Products and services

• MDFR® Recycling Technology Patented low-cost, low-energy, low-water process that recovers high quality, undamaged wood fibres from waste MDF using proprietary disaggregation and ohmic heating, designed to be seamlessly integrated into existing MDF/particleboard production lines or used as a standalone recycling plant. Sold to MDF manufacturers, insulation manufacturers and waste management operators via licensing and turnkey plant delivery through PAL.
• Pillo Wood Fibre Insulation

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 26% reduction in carbon footprint for MDF manufacturing when using 60% recycled fibres
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and minor.

• IMAL PAL Group / PALcoreTechnology or IntegrationGlobal partnership announced September 2023 provides PAL with exclusive rights to integrate the MDFR process with their market-leading wood cleaning and recycling technologies. Together they offer complete end-to-end recycling solutions for the panel board industry. PAL is the third-largest OEM equipment supplier in the forest products sector with over 50 years of experience.
• European Panel Federation (EPF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate Member since August 2024. EPF represents manufacturers of particleboard, MDF, OSB, plywood throughout Europe and advocates for the industry at European and international levels. Membership provides access to industry network and collaboration opportunities.
• W. Howard LtdcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMulti-year licensing agreement signed October 2023 for exclusive use of MDF Recovery's technology to produce loose-fill wood fibre insulation (Pillo) in the UK & Irish markets. First commercial plant under construction at Newton, Powys, expected to begin production in Q1 2026.
• TurcomdecorregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAppointed February 2023 as representative company in Turkey, one of Europe's largest MDF markets. Turcomdecor has over 20 years experience representing engineered board industry suppliers and serves as MDF Recovery's market presence in the region.
• The Bio-Composites Centre, Bangor UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 10 years of collaboration including successful Innovate UK supply chain projects. The Centre provides pilot plant facilities for wood-based panel production and assists with technology development and market analysis for recycled MDF fibres. MDF Recovery's Head of Business Development previously directed this Centre.
• EcomaisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch programme sponsored by France's EcoMaison (started March 2023) into closed-loop recycling for waste particleboards, in partnership with Bangor University's BioComposites Centre.
• Haseltine Lake Kempner LLPminorOthersProvides full suite of IP services for MDF Recovery's intellectual property needs including patents and trademarks. Offices in London, Bristol, Leeds, Munich, Glasgow, Netherlands, and China.
• Wood Knowledge WalesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWKW focuses on housing and construction with big impacts on planet and people. Organizes collaborative innovation projects and events. MDF Recovery participates in their events and initiatives promoting sustainable building products.
• Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit organization with over 130 member organizations across the built environment sector. MDF Recovery is a member, gaining visibility among sustainable building product manufacturers and specifiers.
• Timber Development UK (TDUK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry organization focused on embodied carbon, circular economy, and responsible sourcing in timber. MDF Recovery participates in initiatives promoting sustainable wood use.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kronospan: World's largest manufacturer of wood-based panels including MDF, with operations across Europe and globally. As MDFR's primary target customer profile and the world's largest MDF producer, Kronospan represents the most natural large-scale licensee or strategic acquirer of MDFR's recycling technology.
• IMAL PAL Group: Italian-based equipment supplier for the wood-based panel industry with 50+ years of experience and the third-largest OEM position in forest products. Directly comparable as MDFR's exclusive global integration partner, providing the engineering and OEM route to market that defines MDFR's distribution model.
• Egger: Major European family-owned manufacturer of wood-based panels including MDF, particleboard, and OSB, with global operations. Comparable as a large-scale MDF producer that could license MDFR's technology to integrate recycled content into its panel production and meet ESG targets.
• Swiss Krono: Major European manufacturer of wood-based panels including MDF, particleboard, and laminate flooring, with operations across Europe and North America. Comparable as a large MDF producer representing a potential multi-plant licensee for MDFR's recycling technology across its European footprint.
• Stora Enso: Finnish-Swedish forest products giant with significant wood-based panel and biomaterials operations. Comparable as a major forest products incumbent with active sustainability initiatives; MDFR Board Advisor Duncan Mayes was previously VP of Global R&D at Stora Enso, illustrating the strategic overlap.
• West Fraser: Major North American wood products company including MDF manufacturing, formerly CSC Forest Products. Comparable as an MDF producer and former employer of MDFR's Head of Business Development, Dr Rob Elias, indicating established commercial relationships and a natural licensee profile.
• Arauco: Chilean-based global wood panel manufacturer with operations across the Americas, Europe and South Africa, including MDF, particleboard and plywood. Comparable as a major vertically integrated MDF producer that could leverage MDFR's technology across its global manufacturing footprint to reduce virgin fibre dependency.

Emerging players

• Steico: Leading European manufacturer of wood fibre insulation products (flexible batts, rigid boards, and loose fill), publicly listed in Germany. Comparable as the end-product analog to MDFR's Pillo sub-brand and the most established wood-fibre insulation competitor that MDFR-licensed recovered fibres must compete against for end-market adoption.
• Renmatix: US-based clean technology company developing supercritical hydrolysis for converting biomass into cellulosic sugars and building blocks. Comparable as an emerging player applying proprietary process technology to biomass valorization, sharing MDFR's IP-licensing-from-pilot business model in the broader waste-to-materials space.
• Gutex: German family-owned manufacturer of wood fibre insulation boards and flexible insulation mats from sustainably sourced softwood. Comparable as a wood-fibre insulation specialist positioned in the same end-product category as MDFR's Pillo offering, and a potential acquirer or competitor for recovered-fibre insulation market share.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mdf-recovery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MDF Recovery