Stora Enso is launching NeoLigno – a fully bio-based binder system without formaldehyde and isocyanates that the company says can provide healthier indoor and working environments.
Hazardous chemicals aren't always visible to the naked eye, yet they may be in homes or products used every day. Stora Enso claims it is on a mission to replace such products with renewable materials.
The new binder, NeoLigno, demonstrates the unique properties and potential of lignin, which the company says is nature's second most common macromolecule after cellulose.
It is found in all plants and makes up to a third of the composition of wood. According to Stora Enso, the lignin it uses is a renewable raw material free from toxic substances and fully traceable to its area of origin.
Stora Enso is marketing NeoLigno as a bio-based, high-performing alternative for industries currently using fossil-based binders or hazardous chemicals.
Lauri Lehtonen, head of innovation at Stora Enso’s biomaterials division, comments: “We are taking the lead in creating a new era of natural binders for healthy everyday living. Companies are increasingly looking for safer and more natural materials to be able to offer high quality, fully bio-based end products to their customers.
“NeoLigno is based on lignin from our own production. With NeoLigno, our customers can develop products that are safer to make and use without compromising on technical performance.”
“The solution has many benefits: It is free from formaldehyde and isocyanate; it is fully bio-based; and it offers high performance,” Lehtonen concludes.
