News Bioeconomy Pulp
Mercer opens lignin centre at its Rosenthal pulp mill in Germany

Mercer International inaugurated its Mercer Lignin Center on August 23, 2023, located on Mercer Rosenthal’s site in Rosenthal am Rennsteig, Germany. The company states that this represents an important milestone in its ongoing commitment to resource-saving innovation.

“Our focus is on the full utilization of wood resources. It is therefore only logical to exploit the often untapped potential of lignin,” said Juan Carlos Bueno on the background to the forward-looking investment.

The Mercer Lignin Center is a fully integrated pilot plant with a maximum capacity of 1,000 kilograms of high-quality lignin per day on an area of 1,000 square meters. It includes storage facilities, on-site control rooms, offices and laboratory workstations. Integration into the pulp mill reportedly ensures smooth operation and enables the production of different lignin grades.

With the opening of the Mercer Lignin Center and Mercer’s close cooperation with universities, research institutions and other industrial companies – from the wood-based materials industry to the battery industry – great potential is opening up for the integration of these lignin-based materials into the industrial bioeconomy, says the company. In this way, Mercer actively supports the use of renewable resources in the economy as well as the desired independence away from fossil-based raw materials. The project is supported with funds from the Thüringer Aufbaubank.

“At Mercer, we support the idea of a sustainable circular economy and the responsible use of nature. Therefore, in order to optimize the use of the natural raw material components of our by-products, we are willing to overcome conventional ways of thinking and invest in new technologies,” said CEO Juan Carlos Bueno. “The opening of the Lignin Center is another forward-looking contribution by Mercer to a strong bioindustry. We will continue on our path, investing in processes and technologies focused on continuous improvement and innovation in all areas of our business.”