Lignin's role in the beginning of the end of the fossil resources era: A panorama of lignin supply, economic and market potential

Abstract

Lignin, one of nature's promising biopolymers, has been extensively studied for its potential to support the transition to a less fossil-based economy. Despite evidence from both industry and academia on its various applications, the economic feasibility of lignin still requires further research. This review brings an updated overview of lignin supply and recent techno-economic analysis (TEA) of technical lignin applications. With the global production capacity for kraft lignin reaching 112 kt/year in 2023, there is growing interest in assessing the economic viability of lignin-based products. Besides evaluating technical and economic feasibility, the reviewed TEAs identify bottlenecks and help optimise the processes. They define potential actions (e.g., increase capacity, adjust price strategy, and reduction of lignin cost) that could improve the feasibility of the developed lignin applications.