The Lignin-Based Biorefinery

The Lignin-based Biorefinery

by Alexander A. Koukoulas, Ph.D.

Chemicals and chemical feedstocks from lignin are benefiting from heightened demand, driven by the unique functionality of lignin-derived chemicals, as well as the increased demand for bio-based materials that can be sustainably sourced. It is our view that the overall demand for fow-carbon alternatives to petrochemical-derived materials is strong and will show continued strength.

Bio-advantaged Chemicals & Materials
Bio-advantaged materials such as precipated lignin and lignosulfonates provide a range of industrial applications as viscosity modifiers and adhesives, and are used extensively in multiple markets. Precipitated lignin and bio-based organics derived from wood and biomass are being used in a number of new applications, including bio-based fuels and resin systems. New applications for lignin-derived materials are replacing petroleum-derived resins, such as urea-formaldehyde (UF) resins used in building materials and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) resin systems, a thermoplastic polymer used extensively in the automotive industry.

Aerial view of the LignoTech Florida LLC biorefinery complex on Amelia Island, Florida.

LignoTech Florida LLC
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit one of the largest producers of lignin-derived chemicals—LignoTech Florida LLL, a joint venture between Norway-based Borregaard and Rayonier Advanced Materials—and tour their newest production facility on Amelia Island, Florida.

The LignoTech Florida facility opened in June 2018. The plant leverages the exisiting sulfite pulping capacity of Rayonier’s Fernandina Beach pulp mill with the lignin processing expertise of Borregaard. And, what set’s this facility apart from many is the level of process integration between the old and new plants. Rayonier supplies spent sulfite pulping liquor—a lignin-containing feedstock—to the LignoTech plant, along with water, utilities, and wastewater treatment. In turn, the LignoTech plant converts the spent pulping liquor into valuable lignin-based chemicals and returns recovered pulping chemicals contained in the liquor to the mill. This reuse of chemicals and the conversion of lignin to valuable chemicals maximizes the value of a material that in the past would have been burned for its heating value.

A Model for Biorefineries
We see the LignoTech Florida LLC project as being a model for biorefinery producers and manufacturers alike. Leveraging infrastructure, turning waste streams into valuable products, and fostering cooperation between companies and local communities are powerful lessons for companies and project developers looking to follow this example.