JSC Latvijas Finieris starts construction of a lignin resin production plant

Latvijas Finiera jaunās sveķu rūpnīcas atklāšanas pasākums. Pamatos tiek ierakts vēstījums nākamajām paaudzēm.

On 15 January 2025, JSC Latvijas Finieris, an industrial partner of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, started construction of a new resin plant, an important milestone in the transition to a bio-based economy. The new plant will produce resins from the natural wood component lignin, which will partially replace the previously widely used fossil phenol, the basis for synthetic phenol-formaldehyde resins used to produce plywood for consumer products (construction, finishing and transport industries). A lignin processing plant of this scale is unique not only in Latvia, but also in Europe.

In the presence of government representatives and international partners, with the slogan "No to oil, yes to wood!" a message for future generations was laid in the foundations of the factory. The plant is scheduled for completion in spring 2026 and is expected to produce 45 000 tonnes per year. As a result, all of Latvijas Finieris' plywood production will be supplied with the more environmentally friendly lignin-phenolic-formaldehyde resin.

Senior Researcher Jānis Rižikovs, Head of the Biorefinery Laboratory, represented LSIWC at the inauguration of the resin plant. Jānis presented the vision of LSIWC and the research directions with the aim to implement the production of various products from natural raw materials. Jānis stresses that the establishment of a lignin resin plant is an important step, as this is an opportunity to replace fossil products with natural raw materials on a large scale, and in this way it is a good start to save the world!

The construction of the lignin resin plant is part of VIOBOND project to take significant commercialisation steps based on the natural wood component lignin, creating industrial technologies to significantly reduce the share of fossil raw materials in phenolic formaldehyde resins, which are now widely used in furniture, flooring, thermal insulation, sandpaper and many other everyday products.

The VIOBOND project brings together 9 partners from 5 countries:

  • LATVIJAS FINIERIS A/S (Latvia) - coordinator
  • GRAANUL BIOTECH OU (Estonia)
  • ST1 OY (Finland)
  • CHEMPOLIS OY (Finland)
  • POERNER INGENIEURGESELLSCHAFT MBH (Germany)
  • FUNDACIO UNIVERSITARIA BALMES (Spain)
  • LATVIJAS VALSTS KOKSNES KIMIJAS INSTITUTS (Latvia)
  • SAINT-GOBAIN FINLAND OY (Finland)
  • MIRKA OY (Finland)