Kraft Lignin Production at West Fraser’s Hinton Mill

Abstract
It is widely recognized that climate change is leading to a range of negative effects on the
global ecology and economy. Forest biomass is increasingly being viewed as a potential
solution to the growing demand for clean energy and renewable raw materials because
of its relatively high availability, sustainable management and multiple existing value
chains. Increased use of wood fibre‐based products can help reduce carbon emissions
through carbon storage and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. One such promising
bioproduct is kraft lignin.
Over the last few years, several processes were developed for the extraction of highquality
lignin from black liquor and three of these were implemented at the industrial
level. One of these processes is the process jointly developed by FPInnovations and
NORAM, and implemented at the West Fraser, Hinton mill in Alberta, Canada. A unique
feature of this process is that the black liquor is oxidized with oxygen prior to lignin
precipitation. Under the conditions used, malodorous sulphur compounds are destroyed,
chemical requirements are reduced, lignin filterability is improved and purified lignin is
recovered at high solids content.
The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of:
a) The main features of the kraft lignin recovery process in terms of unit operations,
general layout and chemicals required
b) The fundamental characteristics of kraft lignin including chemical composition,
molecular weight distribution, main functional groups and thermal properties
c) Several emerging medium and high‐value applications of kraft lignin including: a)
as a partial replacement of phenol and/or phenol formaldehyde (PF) resins for
wood adhesive applications (e.g. plywood), b) as a partial replacement of
isocyanate adhesive in medium density fibreboard (MDF) and c) as a partial
replacement of polyols in rigid polyurethane (PU) foams for thermal insulation
purposes 

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