All Lignin Is Not Created Equal

It is not my intention with this blog to share quality specifications based on my experience with kraft lignin customers. It does seem appropriate, and certainly not a violation of any confidentiality agreements, to share the following important observation: not all lignin is created equal.

Those who have studied lignin chemistry will readily attest to the fact that hardwood lignin is different from softwood lignin, and that sulfite lignin is different from kraft lignin. Still, I am somewhat entertained by the generalization of “lignin” and the expectation that a new lignin plant will produce a product just as effective or comprable in a specific application as the existing supply. If this is something you have been told, I encourage you to ask questions.

From my perspective and experience, even lignin produced using the same general kraft pulping process and the same tree species can behave differently in certain applications. Relatively small changes in the pulp mill or lignin separation process can be significant to lignin customers.

As one ponders the many possibilities for lignin, especially the more lucrative ones, I’ll make an assertion that I think will be valuable: many lignin customers are specialty chemical businesses, and certain properties of lignin that many consider minor are critical to their process and can produce recognizable changes in their product. Pulp mill operators may consider these changes insignificant. Specialty chemical businesses may consider them huge. This gap needs to be recognized and discussed. Collaboration between the producer and the end user on quality, along with the necessary financial alliances, is crucial to success in the kraft lignin industry.

Not all lignin is created equal.

WDM