Lignin could be used in many applications in which fossil-based material are currently used. Lignin, one of the main building blocks of a tree, can now replace glue to make products 100% sustainable. Provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper, Stora Enso, has recently launched a bio-based lignin – Lineo – as a replacement for oil-based glue, and as resins for plywood, oriented strand board, laminated veneer lumber, paper lamination and insulation material. Stora Enso has been producing lignin at an industrial scale since 2015 at its Sunila Mill, Finland. Its capacity is 50,000 tonnes per year, the largest in the world. The company currently sells Lineo to replace phenol, and is also looking at many other applications for the material. The lignin takes the form of a stable, free flowing brown powder, and is separated during the Kraft pulping process of Nordic softwood. Lineo has a high dry content and long storage time. With a higher reactivity and purity, it is consistent from batch to batch, the company says, and can be supplied at different levels of dryness, according to customer demand. Markus Mannström, Executive Vice President of the Stora Enso Biomaterials division said, ‘Lignin is a non-toxic raw material with traceable origin and stable cost structure and is ideal for companies looking for alternatives to oil-based products. We believe that everything made from fossil-based materials today, can be made from a tree tomorrow.’
