From forest and agricultural waste to fully biobased materials. LigniCore valorizes lignin within a broad range of functional materials.
Every year, nearly 400 million tonnes of plastics are produced globally, 99 % of which are derived from fossil oils. Switching to biobased plastics makes it possible to meet the world’s growing demand for plastics while avoiding fossil extraction and the associated emissions to the atmosphere.
LigniCore has developed a new combination of lignin with biobased hardeners to create a thermoset resin which, in combination with natural fibers, can form fully biobased performance composites.
What is lignin?
Lignin is a natural polymer that contains over 60% carbon and displays high aromaticity. It can be found in most terrestrial plants as well as in algae. In fact, 30% of all the biogenic carbon found on land is contained in lignin, which makes it one of the most abundant biopolymers in the world. The main source of lignin nowadays is wood, however novel extraction methods allow the sourcing of lignin from other streams, in particular agricultural residues. Lignin typically makes up 18 to 32% of wood biomass, depending on the species.
LigniCore’s materials are:
– LigniSet®
Thermoset resin for performance composites
– LigniSol®
Thermoplastic filler for increased sustainability
– LigniCoat®
Protecting water-sensitive substrates
– LigniFlex®
Replacing rubber for all things flexible
