“Stora Enso starts producing wood-based carbon for batteries”
Finnish pulp, paper, and forest product manufacturer Stora Enso has started producing bio-based carbon materials from lignin (a wood component). This is a big step forward for the company, which invested €10 million into the operation in 2019, and yet another demonstration of the timber trade’s potential to aid the environment.
The company is producing wood-based carbon for batteries that will be used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, and large-scale energy storage systems, as well as towards other applications. The operation is based at Stora Enso’s Sunila production site in Finland, which has been producing lignin since 2015.
Markus Mannstrom, Stora Enso’s executive vice president of Biomaterials, told reporters: “With our pilot plant now ramping up operations, Stora Enso is entering a new value chain in supplying more sustainable anode materials for batteries.”
“With Lignode, we can provide a bio-based, cost-competitive and high-performance material to replace the conventionally used graphite. To serve the fast-growing anode materials market, we are now exploring strategic partnerships to accelerate scale-up and commercialisation in Europe.”
Timber is widely recognised as a key material in the fight against climate change, and already forms a major part of the government’s plan to reduce carbon emissions over the coming decade. As more wood-based bio-fuel options become viable, and more timber applications emerge to replace higher-emission materials, wood will become an even more important part of this fight. Quercus is proud to play a part in it.
Environmentally-minded people all across the UK are embracing timber not just because it’s green, but because it is a beautiful and versatile natural material. If you would like to discuss which type of timber is right for an upcoming project, call Quercus on 0845 50 50 311.