Produced annually in quantities of over 50 million tonnes from wood pulp and other biorefinery processes, lignin is nature's own binding agent. It is found in the cell walls of all plants, where it binds fibres together and contributes to their structural strength. Thanks to its unique chemical composition, lignin has the potential to replace fossil fuels in a variety of applications, including bioplastics, asphalt, batteries, building materials, flame retardants and UV stabilisers.

While the global market for bio-based plastics and elastomers is growing, the use of lignin in these materials is still in its infancy.

Challenges for bio-based elastomers

For almost a century, the traditional manufacture of elastomers has been dominated by petrochemical raw materials, resulting in highly optimised and well-established production processes. Every year, tens of millions of tonnes of elastomers are produced for use in everything from household products to advanced industrial applications.

Despite promising research results on bio-based alternatives, including lignin-based elastomers, there are still several obstacles to their large-scale industrial introduction. The biggest challenges include adapting production to existing processes and achieving comparable performance in large-scale applications. Continued investment in innovation, material development and process optimisation is required to unlock the full potential of lignin.

Can lignin-based elastomers catch up with petroleum-based materials?

Elastomers - or ‘rubbers’ - are used in countless applications, from tyres to medical devices. By 2032, the global elastomer market is expected to reach around USD 187 billion, while bio-based elastomers are expected to account for less than USD 2 billion. Competing with highly optimised, well-established petrochemical materials remains a major challenge.

This project aims to accelerate the industrial uptake of lignin-based elastomers by developing a platform for automated material optimisation using AI. Advanced machine learning and a robotic system will be used to systematically explore and optimise formulations for lignin processing and elastomer production.

The robotic platform will enable the screening, synthesis and evaluation of a wide range of lignin and other high-throughput bio-based materials. This approach is expected to significantly accelerate the development of sustainable, high-performance elastomers and allow for a more efficient use of research resources.

The knowledge will also pave the way for similar AI and automation-based approaches in other areas of materials science. The project involves collaboration with industrial partners across the value chain, including expertise in lignin, elastomers, AI, robotics and innovation infrastructure.

FOR-BLEND investigates three types of locally available forest-based residue feedstocks to produce a sustainable fuel blending component: sawdust, bark, and bio oil by-product from biochar process. During this project advanced analytical methods for new lignocellulosic-based fuel component are developed for determining its composition as well as physical-chemical properties. Moreover, the new fuel blending component is evaluated for (ICE) combustion engines applications, while the production process is integrated and evaluated through Life Cycle Analysis and technoeconomic assessment. 

In this project RISE is working together with University of Vaasa and Åbo Akademi University to determine how residual lignocellulosic streams can be used to produce fuel components. RISE will share its knowledge and expertise in pyrolysis methods as well as biocrude hydroprocessing demonstrating the entire production process from solid feedstock to the final drop-in fuel blend component at RISE available facilities in Piteå.

Det finns ett forskningsgap mellan skog och slutprodukt avseende helhetssyn på det sågade materialets egenskaper av björk från svensk skog. Sådan kunskap kan användas för att optimera produktmixens värde och även bättre förstå förutsättningar i det rådande produktionssystemet. Skogforsk har en pågående studie där man samlar björk som kan förväntas finnas i framtida skogar. Detta kompletterande projekt studerar dess egenskaper för sågade produkter genom att stockarna sågas, torkas och mäts avseende egenskaper på plank och brädnivå.

Kunskap om stockkvalitet (mätdata, röntgen) sammankopplad med virkeskvalitet (skannerdata och provning) möjliggör en helhetssyn på björken och genom simuleringsmöjligheter av kvalitetsutfallet möjliggörs utveckling av produktmixen från sågverken genom ex. nya produkter för konstruktion. Tillämpat leder resultaten till vinster för skogsägaren genom ökad betalningsvilja från de mer konkurrenskraftiga sågverken och i förlängningen fler sågverk som satsar på björk. Projektet genomför provning genom sågning och efterföljande experiment för framtagning av kvalitetsdata i skanner samt hållfasthetsprovning. Datan sammanställs för en simuleringsmiljö där även stockdata och om möjligt röntgendata används. Röntgen av björk har inte gjorts i industriell miljö tidigare.

Projektets resultat ger förutsättningar för sågverken, både existerande och nya aktörer, att bättre kunna förstå förändringar i en produktmix. Därmed underlättar projektets simuleringsmöjligheter dialog mellan köpare och säljare. Den sammankopplade datan mellan skog och såg är unik och kan användas för att skapa uppdaterade apteringsinstruktioner i skogen alternativt verifiera existerande instruktioner. Resultaten möjliggör för aktörer att förenkla och påskynda sin produktutveckling för nya innovativa björkbaserade produkter.

The circular bioeconomy, which uses renewable biological resources and technologies to produce food, materials, or energy, can play a crucial role in shaping structural change. It has the potential to create new value networks, thereby promoting knowledge-based growth and jobs, ecosystem revitalisation and resilience, resource efficiency and circularity, and innovation, while taking into account the context-specific economic, social and environmental conditions of a region. 

Driven by the shift towards sustainable development, regions with carbon-intensive economies, such as coal mining, intensive agriculture, forestry, fisheries and peat production, are undergoing significant structural change. The negative impacts can be severe, including economic disruption, unemployment, social strain, and regional inequalities. 

Transition through European cooperation

Our mission: BIO2REG is a three-year European project that aims to enable the systemic transformation of greenhouse gas-intensive regions into bioeconomy model regions. Nine partners are committed to developing concrete measures to enable sustainable bioeconomic transitions in European regions. 

BIO2REG seeks to equip regional stakeholders with an array of practical knowledge and tools to design and implement a region-specific transition. 

These tools include: 

• A multi-criteria assessment framework and guides for a self-assessment of bioeconomy model region potential. 
• A network of regions that promotes direct stakeholder interaction and mutual learning. 
• An interregional exchange programme that will foster partnerships, showcase experiences and build capacities through mentoring and training services. 

Sharing knowledge across regions

Central to the project is its regions-to-regions approach, fostering the exchange of knowledge, best practices, and challenges among various regional stakeholders involved in the transition process. The project’s unique model region framework places regions and their specificities at the centre of the transformation. 

RISE participates in Work Package 1, “Assessing regional potential towards circular and systemic bioeconomy model region transition”, with a particular focus on Task 1.4, “Mapping best practices in circular and systemic model regions”.

RISE is also involved in Work Package 2, “Establishment of an interregional network structure on circular and systemic bioeconomy model region transition”, and contributes to other work packages within the project.

BIO2REG publishes blueprint for bioeconomy model regions 

Update from Work Package 2: Establishing an Interregional Network, which sets out to connect regions and support their transition to a circular bioeconomy. The network, a crucial component of the
BIO2REG project, aims to create a robust framework for collaboration and knowledge exchange across European regions.

The textile industry accounts for nearly 10% of the global carbon dioxide emissions which is more than the combined emissions from maritime shipping and international flights. Two thirds of the textile fibre feedstock are still fossil-based. The main biobased feedstock, cotton, is characterised by energy-intensive production processes. 

Seaweed is a blue biobased feedstock with great potential for textile manufacturing. The production of algae involves an ecosystem benefit with carbon dioxide fixation and uptake of nutrients (counteracts eutrophication).

 In the KELPTEX project, alginate-rich fractions – extracted using novel energy-efficient biorefinery methods - will be wet-spun into textile filaments, at both lab and pilot scale. Moreover, a resource-efficient spray technique will be investigtated to dye the textiles using an algae-based pigment The goal is to create a sustainable and circular alternative to traditional fossil and bio-based fibers.

The project is coordinated by Chalmers Industriteknik with RISE being responsible for the main technological development (alginate-based textile fiber manufacturing), in close collaboration with Manatee Biomaterials (alginate extraction) and Mounid (textile dyeing).  

RISE's role in the project

The Circular synergies between land and sea project is coordinated by RISE. We are also carrying out tests on sludge from sea and land-based fish farms using hydrothermal carbonisation (HTC) to carbonise the sludge, which will then be tested through plant cultivation trials at Torsta in Krokom and Val skoler in Rörvik. Together with the High Coast Innovation Park site in Örnsköldsvik and the potential sites Kråköga in Rörvik and Alby in Ånge, we are carrying out techno-economic and life-cycle analyses for the exchange of knowledge and experience between Swedish and Norwegian industrial parks for industrial symbiosis.

Funding

EU funding for Sweden: EUR 264,832
Region Västernorrland: EUR 101,196
Umeå University: EUR 26,528
RISE Processum AB: EUR 4,257
Torsta AB: EUR 10,622

Norwegian IR funding: EUR 110,000
Namdal Regional Council: EUR 13,548
Trøndelag County Council: EUR 30,000
Municipalities in the Regional Council (Flatanger, Grong, Høylandet, Leka, Lierne, Namsos, Namsskogan, Overhalla, Nærøy and Røyrvik): EUR 17, 920 EUR EUR

Private funding in kind 
Businesses and business associations (Sinkaberg, Aquaressurs AS, Kråkøya Eiendom AS, Valskoler, Namdalskysten Næringsforening, Trøndelag Farmers’ Association): EUR 100,520

The textile industry accounts for nearly 10% of the global carbon dioxide emissions. Two thirds of the textile fibres are still fossil-based. The main biobased feedstock, cotton, is characterised by chemical-intensive production processes and extensive use of water and pesticides during cultivation. Moreover, c onventional textile dyeing is tremendously resource-intensive and accounts for 25% of the textile production's environmental impact.

A blue biobased feedstock with great potential is seaweed. Rather than contributing to emissions, the production involves an ecosystem benefit with carbon dioxide fixation and uptake of nutrients (counteracts eutrophication).

In the ALLGAE project, companies along the value chain: from seaweed harvesting (Nordic Seafarm and Manatee Biomaterials), textile pigment formulators (Mounid), and the textile industry (Houdini Sportswear) are collaborating with researchers at RISE and CIT to develop 100% algae-based textile fibres. This will be done by sustainably extracting crude alginate fractions from seaweed that will be further manufactured to textile fibres. In addition, the algae pigment will be incorporated in an efficient one-pot process during the fibre spinning. We hope that these innovative fibres have the potential to replace conventional fossil and biobased fibres, while eliminating the need for harmful textile dyes