July 23, 2019
BY Erin Krueger
Finland-based forestry company Stora Enso has announced plans to invest €10 million ($11.15 million) to build a pilot facility that will produce biobased carbon materials from lignin that can be used in batteries.
According to Stora Enso, the proposed pilot project will process lignin into a carbon intermediate for electrode materials. The company said the lignin will be converted into hard carbon anode materials for lithium-ion batteries with properties similar to graphite. Such batteries are used in mobile phone and similar portable devices, power tools, electric vehicles, in industrial applications, in stationary energy storage and grid units.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Construction of the pilot plant is expected to begin later this year and be complete by early 2021. The facility will be located at Stora Enso’s Sunila Mill in Finland.
“This investment is another step on our transformation journey to explore new ways to replace fossil-based, scarce and high-cost materials with renewable alternatives,” said Markus Mannström, executive vice president of Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division. “Using wood-based lignin for technical carbon material offers an exciting opportunity. With the pilot facility we will continue to build on our long-term work in extracting lignin from biomass to create more value from it. We will target the rapidly growing battery market in which companies are looking for high-quality, attractively priced and sustainable materials.”
According to Stora Enso, the proposed pilot project will process lignin into a carbon intermediate for electrode materials. The company said the lignin will be converted into hard carbon anode materials for lithium-ion batteries with properties similar to graphite. Such batteries are used in mobile phone and similar portable devices, power tools, electric vehicles, in industrial applications, in stationary energy storage and grid units.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Construction of the pilot plant is expected to begin later this year and be complete by early 2021. The facility will be located at Stora Enso’s Sunila Mill in Finland.
“This investment is another step on our transformation journey to explore new ways to replace fossil-based, scarce and high-cost materials with renewable alternatives,” said Markus Mannström, executive vice president of Stora Enso’s Biomaterials division. “Using wood-based lignin for technical carbon material offers an exciting opportunity. With the pilot facility we will continue to build on our long-term work in extracting lignin from biomass to create more value from it. We will target the rapidly growing battery market in which companies are looking for high-quality, attractively priced and sustainable materials.”
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency is implementing multiple changes to the Camelina pilot insurance program for the 2026 and succeeding crop years. The changes will expand coverage options and provide greater flexibility for producers.
EcoCeres Inc. has signed a multi-year agreement to supply British Airways with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The fuel will be produced from 100% waste-based biomass feedstock, such as used cooking oil (UCO).
SAF Magazine and the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative announced the preliminary agenda for the North American SAF Conference and Expo, being held Sept. 22-24 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Saipem has been awarded an EPC contract by Enilive for the expansion of the company’s biorefinery in Porto Marghera, near Venice. The project will boost total nameplate capacity and enable the production of SAF.
Global digital shipbuilder Incat Crowther announced on June 11 the company has been commissioned by Los Angeles operator Catalina Express to design a new low-emission, renewable diesel-powered passenger ferry.