Södra confirms that Stora Enso will be among the first buyers of sulfate lignin from its upcoming facility in Mönsterås. This follows Södra’s significant investment earlier this year to establish the first commercial sulfate lignin plant in Sweden, which will also be the largest of its kind globally. The plant is expected to be operational by 2027.
This agreement follows an earlier announcement where Södra signed its first deal to supply sulfate lignin from the new Mönsterås factory to UPM. The factory will play a pivotal role in advancing the supply of renewable lignin materials, expected to be crucial in various industrial applications.
Stora Enso has spent the past decade developing expertise in lignin, operating its own pilot facility for battery materials. The company sees great potential in lignin and now seeks an external supply source. As demand for sustainable materials grows, lignin’s applications continue to expand rapidly.
A key application for lignin lies in Stora Enso’s Lignode technology, which could replace fossil-based anode materials in both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. This makes it a vital component in sustainable electronics manufacturing and various forms of energy storage. Lignin is the second most common polymer in nature, after cellulose, and appeals to companies like Stora Enso due to its renewable nature, lower carbon footprint, and biodegradability.
Södra, with access to forest raw materials through its 50,000 members who manage family forests, complements Stora Enso’s experience in lignin applications. Södra also offers scalability, with the potential to produce up to 250,000 tons of sulfate lignin annually if the technology is applied across all three of its pulp mills.
“From 2027, Södra will play a crucial role in increasing sulfate lignin as a renewable and sustainable replacement for fossil-based materials. Stora Enso is a key customer, partner, and technology provider, positioning us at the center of a value chain that can lead to climate-efficient solutions, particularly in the automotive and energy storage sectors,” said Johannes Bogren, head of bioproducts at Södra.
Juuso Konttinen, head of biomaterials growth at Stora Enso, added, “It’s exciting to collaborate with Södra on this important project. The agreement secures an additional reliable source of sulfate lignin for our innovative products like Lignode, underscoring the growing importance of lignin in developing sustainable solutions across industries.”
