Stora Enso launches lignin-based phenol

I’ve received several announcements about developments of several lignin-based chemicals and I will report this trend (and the lignin market if I get more information) on next month’s Tecnon OrbiChem Biomaterials newsletter. Lignin makes of 20-30% of the composition of wood but has traditionally been discarded by the pulp and paper industries.

Stora Enso, a pulp and paper company based in Finland, announced recently the launch of its lignin-based phenol under the trademark Lineo. The company says lignin is a renewable replacement for oil-based phenolic materials that are being used in resins for plywood, oriented strand board (OSB), laminated veneer lumber, paper lamination and insulation material. Stora’s lignin is separated during the kraft pulping process of Nordic softwood.

Stora Enso has been producing lignin at industrial scale since 2015 at its Sunila pulp mill in Finland.  The mill’s capacity is 50,000 tons/year of lignin. The company claims to be the largest kraft lignin producer in the world. Lineo, in a stable, free-flowing brown powder form, has a high dry content, reported superior dispersibility and long storage time. Lineo is reportedly consistent from batch to batch and can be supplied in different levels of dryness depending on customer demand.

As Tecnon OrbiChem also regularly publishes updates on the phenol market, I will also include market information as well as pricing of phenol as a background on my lignin-based chemicals special report.