Borregaard: sustainable solutions through valourising lignin - the tree's binding agent
Norwegian company Borregaard is an example of one of the world’s most advanced biorefineries. It uses wood to make bio-chemicals, bio-materials and biofuel that can replace oil-based products. The Sarpsborg mill in Norway makes speciality cellulose which can end up in products in the construction and oil industries, foodstuffs, tablets, cosmetics, filters, hygiene products, textiles and paints, to name but some.
But it does much more than that. The wood’s binding agent, the lignin, is used in additives for everything from concrete and textile dyes to batteries and fishery products. The most important area of use for lignin products is as an additive in concrete. In addition to providing advantages in terms of strength and quality, the lignin also means that the water and cement content of the concrete can be reduced, resulting in a lower energy need and, not least, lower CO2 emissions in the production of cement.
Lignin is also the source of the flavouring agent vanillin, the world’s most used taste and flavouring agent. Most of the world’s vanillin production is based upon petrochemical raw materials and Borregaard is the only producer in the world to make vanillin from wood at present.
Then there’s bioethanol, produced from the sugar in the wood. It can be used in the pharmaceutical industry, paints, varnishes, car care products, and as fuel in buses. The list goes on…
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