University of British Columbia researchers to turn ‘black liquor’ into consumer goods

In Canada, University of British Columbia research designed to turn ‘black liquor’—a by-product of pulp and paper manufacture—into consumer goods has received funding from Genome BC and the BC Pulp and Paper Bio-Alliance.

The project valued at C$500,000 will develop biological methods that can be used to transform ‘black liquor’, a mixture of lignin and cooking chemicals which is an energy source and part of pulp and paper manufacture’s chemical recovery system, into usable consumer goods such as adhesives, foams, and other products. This would dramatically increase the value of black liquor.