MFC Myth No.4 - "FiberLean add minerals to MFC." No, we don’t. No minerals. No additives. Just cellulose.

Here’s why FiberLean Does Not Add Minerals to MFC. 

Ben Bulson

Setting the record straight

Of all the misconceptions about FiberLean, this one has perhaps the clearest origin story – and the clearest rebuttal. 

FiberLean Technologies was established with roots in Imerys, a global minerals group. That history has left a residual impression in some quarters that FiberLean’s MFC contains minerals, or that mineral addition is somehow integral to the process. It is not. 

FiberLean produces MFC through a purely mechanical grinding process. Cellulose fiber goes in. MFC comes out. Nothing is added. The grinding process – using vertical wet stirred media mills – fibrillates the cellulose mechanically, creating a high-surface-area material through physical energy alone. This distinction carries significant practical implications.

What are the benefits of not adding minerals to MFC?

For mills producing food-contact packaging, operating in regulated industries, or working with customers who scrutinise material composition, the purity of any additive or functional material is a serious commercial and compliance consideration. 

FiberLean’s grinder-produced MFC has broad food-contact clearance. It is not classified as a nano-material under US EPA or EU definitions. It has no observed negative health effects. It is recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable. These properties flow directly from what it is: mechanically processed cellulose, and nothing else. 

FiberLean operates today as an independent specialist in MFC grinding equipment. The Imerys connection is historical context, not operational reality. The company’s singular focus is the design, manufacture, and support of grinders that enable mills to produce pure, high-quality MFC in-house.  

The mineral association is understandable given the history. But it is also simply incorrect, and for applications where material purity matters, it is worth correcting with confidence. 

FiberLean MFC is cellulose.

To find out how FiberLean’s mechanical grinding equipment can help your mill, look at our case studies or get in touch with us today to discuss your project.