Making nature’s glue out of sawdust
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This process turns forestry waste into ingredients currently made from petrochemicals
Spotted: Many industries, such as cosmetics, packaging, and pharmaceuticals, rely on highly unsustainable petrochemical-derived ingredients. In order to reduce this reliance on hydrocarbons, a team of researchers in Scotland has formed a company to turn forestry by-products into eco-friendly chemical alternatives.
The company, Sonichem, has developed a method for extracting lignin, which is a polymer that binds the cells and fibres in trees and other types of plants. The lignin can then be processed to develop products such as resins, films, coatings, and foams.
The lignin is extracted using ultrasound to fractionate woody biomass, such as waste sawdust, into hemicellulose sugars, microcrystalline cellulose, and lignin. The extracted lignin is highly soluble in organic solvents, free from sulphur, highly reactive, and resistant to antioxidants and UV, making it extremely versatile. It can be used as feedstocks to manufacture intermediate chemicals, which are in turn used to manufacture low-carbon plastics, resins, and composites for a variety of industries.
At the start of this year, Sonichem launched its CARMA (carbon-neutral agroforestry-derived resins automotive applications) project, in collaboration with an international consortium. The consortium received a £600,000 grant from Innovate UK to help develop and commercialise bio-based feedstocks for the transport industry, with the aim of establishing a UK lignin supply chain to support net-zero vehicle manufacturing.
Now, the company is working towards opening its first commercial plant in Scotland in 2027, which should be able to process 15,000 tonnes of waste every year.
Written By: Lisa Magloff