ANDRITZ to reconfigure TMP bleach plant for Kruger Trois-Rivières

Holmen's Board has decided to invest SEK 1.5 billion in the construction of Blisterliden Wind Farm in Skellefteå Municipality. As part of Holmen's drive to develop its renewable energy business, the investment will boost hydro and wind power production by 20 percent. “This investment is fully in line with our strategy to create long-term value, while facilitating the green transition through greater electrification. We are in no doubt that wind power will play an important role in the electricity system of the future, along with controllable hydro power, and we are proud to be able to contribute to this development,” says Fredrik Nordqvist, Senior Vice President Renewable Energy. The company’s renewable electricity production will contribute to a more sustainable society, in combination with the growing forest and the renewable products manufactured at Holmen’s mills. This particular investment will increase Holmen’s annual production of renewable energy from water and wind by 360 GWh to just over 2 TWh.

Starting from May 2022, the lignin-based WISA® BioBond bonding technology is being used in all UPM’s WISA spruce plywood products. WISA BioBond is UPM Plywood’s proprietary bonding technology in which at least 50% of fossil-based phenol in the glue is replaced with wood’s own natural bonding agent, lignin. UPM is the first plywood manufacturer in the world to adopt such a lignin-based solution in its entire range of spruce products. More than just a new type of glue, WISA BioBond is a comprehensive technology that helps further reduce WISA products’ already low fossil CO2 emissions over their lifecycle. The technology has been used in UPM’s birch plywood mills since 2017. By making it the standard in the WISA spruce range, UPM is helping constructors and builders meet their own sustainability targets. “WISA plywood is a material with excellent sustainable qualities already. It is made from renewable raw material and acts as a carbon storage throughout its lifetime. With WISA BioBond, we develop our plywood products and take their environmental performance one step further. This brings the material closer to the UPM vision of a future beyond fossils,” says Susanna Rinne, VP, Strategy and Business Development at UPM Plywood.

Stora Enso is today launching its latest lignin-based innovation, NeoLigno® by Stora Enso. NeoLigno is a fully bio-based binder system without formaldehyde and isocyanates, thus, providing 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 is on a mission to replace such products with renewable materials. The new binder NeoLigno demonstrates the unique properties and potential of lignin. Lignin 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. Lignin is a renewable raw material free from toxic substances and fully traceable to its area of origin. NeoLigno is a bio-based, high-performing alternative for industries currently using fossil-based binders or hazardous chemicals. Initial target applications for NeoLigno are in particleboards and insulation materials used in the building and construction industry.