Domtar Starts up World's First Commercial LignoBoost Plant at Plymouth

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The LignoBoost plant is integrated with the pulp mill and separates and collects lignin from the pulping liquor. This provides the Plymouth mill with numerous benefits. Lignin is a high-quality bio-based alternative to fossil fuel based materials. Separation of a portion of the mill's total lignin production also off-loads the recovery boiler, and allows an increase in pulp production capacity.

Domtar's production of BioChoice™ lignin began in February with a targeted rate of 75 metric tpd. A wide range of applications and markets for BioChoice lignin are being developed including fuels, resins, and thermoplastics. Having lignin available in large quantities and high quality from the Domtar plant will help develop the future lignin market for the industry.

"The technology has been developed by Innventia in Sweden, in association with Chalmers University of Technology. Metso purchased it and is furthering the development. We continue to work together to refine the technology to develop new lignin applications in partnership for current and future customers. LignoBoost has generated a great deal of interest in the pulp and paper industry globally and this is a major breakthrough for all parties involved in this first-of-a-kind project," says Gene Christiansen, senior manager, Business Development Innovations at Metso's Power business line for North America.