Applications of Lignin Materials and Their Composites (Lignin Applications in Various Industrial Sectors, Future Trends of Lignin and Their Composites)

Creating innovative products requires sustainable processes and eco-innovation in material development for mass consumer and engineering applications. Advanced approaches use new materials-biocomposites-and their development has to be knowledge-based, whereas predominant issues are resource saving, variability in properties and functionality, lightweight, low costs, and eco-efficiency at all stages of the product life cycle. These are the requirements to be met using raw materials of biomass, fibers, wood extraction constituents, and biopolymers to supply branches of mass consumer goods, automotive and electronic industries. To save substantial amounts of crude oil and reduce carbon footprint demands, the upgrade and use of raw materials from traditionally industrial sectors of wood (wood powder and fibers), textile, and pulp and paper (lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose fiber industries as well as new biopolymers). In addition, it forces to obtain high standards in q uality of the raw material output, which can be only achieved by strongly increased efforts in R and D. The manufacturing of these advanced products will have to use processing technologies like plastics and plastic composites but use only bio-based raw materials, which fulfill all criteria of recycling and CO2-neutrality. They should contain less additives or only such which will no longer hazard the environment, and health of workers and consumers. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Lignin matrix composites from natural resources - ARBOFORMR®

Intensive efforts by research institutions and industry has been unable to generate high added value to a byproduct of the pulp and paper industry, the natural polymer lignin. Chemical pulp mills accumulate approximately more than 50 × 106 tons of it in mass every year, worldwide. A group of researchers and developers, however, developed a family of composites called ARBOFORM®, the polymer lignin being the main component of this new class of engineering materials fully based on renewable raw materials. It is applicable to equipment parts in industry and its properties enable it to be partially substituted for plastics and processed wood. Although it shows woodlike properties, standard polymer engineering technologies can process the material like a thermoplastic material. ARBOFORM can be used for various industrial products, using injection moulding, extrusion and compression moulding. Processing of the material occurs at lower temperatures than is used for synthetic thermoplastics and it does not need compounding, which saves substantial energy and cycle time. The resulting parts show a lower shrinkage than those made from synthetic plastics, reveal excellent acoustic properties and enable straightforward recycling. Continued research and development upgraded the material, giving it advanced properties. As expected from engineering plastics, these comprise high stiffness and impact strength, surface smoothness, various functionalities like flame retardancy, thermal and electrical conductivity, various colours and the absence of processing agents. In particular, advanced bio-inspired materials can be derived by pyrolysis, which maintains shape at smaller dimensions. Selected examples provide an overview of various applications for mass consumer and industrial goods, developed earlier currently under detailed investigation