Stora Enso Oyj : Peab continues its journey towards climate-improved asphalt with Stora Enso’s lignin

Published 4 May 2021

In collaboration with Järfälla municipality close to Stockholm in Sweden, Peab Asfalt is paving another test section with lignin on Viksjöleden road. Lignin is wood's natural binder. It can be used to partially replace oil-based bitumen, with significant environmental and technical benefits.

Lignin is the substance that holds the fibers together in a tree. In addition to the environmental benefits of lignin, Peab Asfalt also expects a positive climate effect from biomass being bound into the asphalt.

- We have been working with different types of lignin for a few years now and it is important that we trial it in real production. Last year we performed our first test surfaces with lignin and now we are moving forward with developing the concept. It feels very exciting and important to have this cross-industry collaboration and to work closely with our customers to develop a climate-improved and more durable asphalt pavement. We are pleased that we can put this test stretch in place and contribute to Järfälla municipality meeting its environmental goals, says Lars Jansson, laboratory manager, Peab Asfalt.

Photo credit: Peab

The test section is paved with ECO-Asphalt where the binder is now partially replaced by lignin. The lignin used in this test section is supplied by Stora Enso. ECO-Asphalt has been used in Järfälla for five years. The asphalt plant uses renewable fuel (bio-oil) for drying and heating the stone material (ballast).

- Now Järfälla municipality is helping to take another step towards climate-improved asphalt as we use asphalt with lignin as a binder for the first time and thereby reduce the amount of bitumen which is a fossil-based product, says Lars Liljeholm, street engineer, Järfälla municipality.

Lignin is a complex plant-derived polymer found in the cell walls of almost all dry-land plants. It binds cellulose and hemicellulose together, giving wood its stiffness, strength and resistance to rotting.

Stora Enso's lignin has also been tested in other asphalt projects with good results. As a company, we actively work with our Lineo® by Stora Enso lignin offering to discover further advantages in asphalt-making and replacing fossil-based materials with a bio-based solution.

About Peab Peab is the Nordic Community Builder with 15,000 employees and net sales of SEK 57 billion. With a local presence and focus on our own resources we develop, do the groundwork and build everyday life where it's lived. The Peab share is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm.