A new, world-leading plant for odor free lignin

A unique facility to enable growth

Valmet will support the construction of a new plant for production of odor free lignin. Construction and operation will be managed by the research institute RISE, and financing is supported by the region of Värmland, Sweden.

Anders Arkell, researcher at RISE and project manager for the new plant, is excited about the possibilities:

” This plant will be a unique test facility and we believe that it will help re-open markets for lignin-based products where product development has been paused. We are very happy about this project and the financial support we have received.”

The ideal location

The location is ideal for this kind of development. The new plant will be built at RISE LignoCity, an existing, open test bed where companies can verify new ways to refine and increase the value of lignin. LignoCity is located next to the Nordic Paper Bäckhammar pulp mill, and this ensures good access to knowledge on wood processing and refining.

According to RISE, several companies have signaled interest in the new facility, and the project is also supported by local regional authorities. Marko Lasic, the region of Värmland, see opportunities for business growth:

” The region of Värmland is very positive to RISE creating a good environment with a research infrastructure that is open and transparent for small and medium-sized companies within the forest-based bioeconomy.”

A logical step forward

LignoBoost, Valmet’s technology for lignin extraction, has been built in several pulp mills and Valmet and RISE have a long common history in the development of lignin technology. Hanna Karlsson, manager ash & lignin technologies at Valmet, believes that the new plant will support further development of kraft lignin:

” We have been focusing on processes that tailor the qualities of extracted lignin for some time now, and RISE is the perfect partner for this work. Odor is one of the few roadblocks that remain for lignin. Once that has been removed, the number of options for lignin increase dramatically.

Plastics is an area that I think has a lot of potential. Many manufactured products are made from plastics, and in many cases, it is important that the products do not smell. An odor free lignin can be used instead of the fossil raw materials that are used today. And since lignin is renewable and does not generate micro-plastics, switching to lignin will be a big step towards sustainability.”

According to Hanna, the new plant is the logical next step for LignoBoost lignin:

” I am confident that this new plant will bring valuable knowledge and development. RISE is a very capable research partner and the commitment we see from local authorities will certainly also help. This project is a big step towards increased expertise and growth that is needed to bring lignin forward.”

More information can be found here:

• Odor free lignin - the press release from RISE.
• Stora Enso, a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper, describes use of lignin on their web page
• Uses of lignin listed on Valmet’s web pages.
• Valmet has built three commercial plants for extraction of LignoBoost lignin.