rogen into diols uses an alloy catalyst. Previous systems have relied on precious metals like ruthenium or platinum. Consequently, the soft drink giant’s collaboration with its Jilin, north-eastern China-based partner represents a cheaper, more sustainable glycol production method.
By providing Coca-Cola with bio-based and recyclable PET (rPET) bottles comprising 30% biobased plastic, the partnership will help Coca-Cola meet its sustainability objectives. The company aims to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
UPM’s products will be made available to the wider plastics industry, including Coca-Cola’s competitors, as part of the agreement. Due on-stream in 2023, the refinery will deliver both plant-based ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. Besides plastic bottles, MEG is a key raw material for polyesters for textiles and antifreeze formulations. Monoproplylene glycol is used in polyester resins and industrial liquid detergent. The plant will also produce renewable functional fillers (RFF) made from lignin – an organic polymer that gives plant cell walls their shape and structure.
UPM has a target of 220,000/ton per year output capacity from Leuna from a supply of sawmill certified hardwood and other wood industry side-streams.
Meanwhile, Stora Enso announced it will ramp up production of lignin-based carbon materials at its Sunila Mill, Finland-based pilot plant. Registered under the tradename Lignode, the firm said work towards finding the right partners is progressing.
As Forest2Market reported previously, Stora Enso invested €10m to build the plant to advance technologies aimed at electric vehicle (EV), consumer electronics and large scale energy storage markets. Batteries and their associated technologies are pivotal to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. Lignin-based carbon offers a renewable alternative to the graphite-based anodes found in 90% of current lithium-ion EV battery systems.
While scientific literature had previously explored the use of organoslav lignin¹ and acetone lignin² as anode material, a recent RSC Advances³ paper outlines a range of innovative options for lignin use in advanced lithium battery systems. Lignin is already widely used as carbon precursor, making it a key feedstock for EV battery boxes. But beyond that, the paper’s authors describe the use of hydrolysed lignin as a cathode as well as Kraft lignin as a binder and a cathode.
The potential commercial opportunities of converting low-cost lignin feedstocks into high-value bio-sustainable chemicals will be revealed when a European Union-funded project Liberate closes in December 2022. Major players Evonik, Perstorp and Oxiris, plus several chemical industry SMEs, research institutions and universities are collaborating on a pilot-scale electrochemical plant. The consortium will explore feedstocks for drop-in replacements while modelling and physically integrating renewable energy sources to deliver processes that synthesise chemicals with a zero CO2 footprint.
Advances in the analytical methods for lignin characterisation have fueled interest in its potential. Molar mass distribution in lignin molecules is key to reactivity and physicochemical properties. Capacity to understand how those parameters determine structure and property relationships is fuelling a passion for lignin development.
3 min read
The sense of uncertainty that gripped the entire globe over the last year is unprecedented in modern history. While many businesses were forced to...
3 min read
The sense of uncertainty that has gripped the entire globe over the last few months is unprecedented in modern history. But in the fight to contain...