The Evolution of LignoBoost Technology and the Lignin BioProducts Market, Part 2, 2016 International Bioenergy and Bioproducts Conference Proceedings

Utilizing a greater part of the biomass raw material and producing other marketable products than pulp has been in focus the latest years for the pulp and paper industry. To do this in a sustainable way is often referred to as “The Biorefinery Concept”. One of the few novel product today produced in larger amount besides the traditional ones is lignin. With the latest started up Lignin production sites in Domtar Plymouth in the USA and Stora Enso Sunila in Finland the existing kraft lignin market has grown significantly. Lignin extraction could be a key door opener in transforming the pulp and paper industry towards the Biorefinery concept. Valmet’s LignoBoost technology is a commercial process that extracts lignin of high purity and has experience from full scale operation.

One aim of this paper is to describe evolution of lignoboost process and learnings during the commercialization, throughout the first laboratory tests in 2001 to the start-up of the first commercial plant in Domtar Plymouth 2013, and how that influenced the second plant in Stora Enso Sunila mill 2014.

As more lignin becomes available on the market the next challenge is to develop the lignin end use markets. Consequently, lignin refining is a natural next step to optimizing the lignin quality for specific end uses. Refined lignin can be used for producing high-end products such as transportation fuels, technical carbons, low cost carbon fibre, phenols and bio plastics as well as fuel replacing e.g. oil in lime kilns or coal/wood/bark in power boilers. This paper will provide a high level overview of some of the end use lignin applications that are being developed using kraft lignin from a global perspective. 

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