The first supply of sufficient amounts (at least 100 kg) of the isolated lignin feedstocks was realized: 100 kg of AAF lignin and 1 ton of LIGNOVA Crude lignin was delivered to VITO by BLOOM and Fibenol, respectively.
VITO’s dedicated chemical pilot site in Mol, Belgium – designed to demonstrate the continuous processing of lignin-based platform chemicals through dissolution and catalytic hydrogenolysis – was successfully established. The chemical pilot site hosts 2 distinct pilot units (TRL 6-7) to validate and demonstrate the different process steps towards lignin-based platform chemicals:
• PILLAR II being the dissolution unit in which lignin is dissolved in a solvent medium;
• LignoValue being the catalytic reactor to perform the catalytic hydrogenolysis of the dissolved lignin into the monomeric and oligomeric platform chemicals.
Next to the pilot units, the chemical pilot site is equipped with the necessary utility units (i.e. gas supply, cooling water, instrument air, storage) to operate the pilot site in a safe and efficient manner. The pilot site of 5.000 m² is currently fully operational, including the necessary environmental permits and safety measures. Commissioning has been performed; the pilot infrastructure platform is ready to be used. Process validation and demonstration is currently in the start-up phase; tangible results on process validation will become available during further project execution.
The development of materials and products starting from the lignin-based platform chemicals, only started in August 2024. First samples of the platform chemicals were provided to the partners involved in such task; experiments and testing are being performed, focusing on applications across the following market areas:
• Lignin-based PU foams.
• Lignin-based functional additives (fire retardants, UV stabilizers) for synthetic waterproofing membranes and wood panels.
• Lignin-based functional additives for personal care products.
• Lignin-based bitumen binders.
• Lignin-based PU coatings.
• Lignin-based wood adhesives.
• Lignin-based high performance structural adhesives for automotive and windmill applications.
First results obtained for the different applications are promising; more detailed results will follow in the next reporting periods including comparison of their performance with commercial benchmarks.
