VIOBOND – sustainable binder: Upscaling new lignin-phenol-formaldehyde resin production with wood-based biorefinery lignin

Project status

Active

Project execution time

01.09.2021 to 31.08.2026

Project type

Horizon 2020

Project number

H2020-101022987

Project manager

Jānis Rižikovs

Call, activity

Programme(s): H2020-EU.2.1.4. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies – Biotechnology; H2020-EU.3.2.6. - Bio-based Industries Joint Technology Initiative (BBI-JTI). Topic(s): BBI-2020-SO1-F2 - Turn lignin into materials and chemicals for high-end applications. Call for proposal: H2020-BBI-JTI-2020. Funding Scheme: BBI-IA-FLAG - Bio-based Industries Innovation action - Flagship

Cooperation partners

Coordinator:
  LATVIJAS FINIERIS A/S (Latvia) - birch plywood production, chemical industry

 
Participants (8):
  GRAANUL BIOTECH OU (Estonia) - wood processing via fractionation technology and supply of different lignin qualities
  ST1 OY (Finland) - biorefining, lignin producer
  CHEMPOLIS OY (Finland) - biorefining, lignin producer
  POERNER INGENIEURGESELLSCHAFT MBH (Germany) - engineering technologies
  FUNDACIO UNIVERSITARIA BALMES (Spain) - sustainability assessment
  LATVIJAS VALSTS KOKSNES KIMIJAS INSTITUTS (Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry - LSIWC) (Latvia) - analytics, research, and development
  SAINT-GOBAIN FINLAND OY (Finland) - engineering technologies, resin user
  MIRKA OY (Finland) - engineering technologies, resin user

Project goal

The VIOBOND project will build a first-of-its-kind flagship plant producing industrial-scale lignin phenol-formaldehyde (LPF) resins. The VIOBOND consortium combines extensive interdisciplinary experience in a full value-chain from fractionating wood-based biorefinery lignin to manufacturing several types of LPF resin for different purposes. The main commercial end-use is conventional plywood panels where lignin substitutes fossil-origin and hazardous phenol and formaldehyde in resin. Also, special LPF resins to be used in consumer products such as plywood coating, white furniture plywood, sandpaper adhesive and insulation glass wool binder are validated and produced in the flagship plant.
The main impact of the VIOBOND project is that it creates the first commercially viable resin plant where lignin partially substitutes fossil-based phenol and formaldehyde. The VIOBOND flagship project demonstrates a business model for valorisation and transformation of lignin in Europe while also demonstrating scale-up and exploitation of the lignin-agnostic lignin-resin technologies for Southern Europe and globally for areas where there are not any wood-based pulp plants or biorefineries, thereby creating demand and supply ecosystem for bio-based lignin and resin.

The Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) as a scientific partner will support the construction of a new lignin-based resin production plant.

Overall project budget € 35 238 125 ; EU contribution € 15 897 000 (EU contribution to LSIWC € 467 000)

 

 

Project portal: VIOBOND - Dare to be sustainable

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Press realease - The VIOBOND consortium will replace fossil resources with renewable lignin in everyday consumer products (28.05.2021)