LignEasy and the EIC Accelerator: Lignin From Pulp Mills

LignEasy, founded in Helsinki in 2022, has patented a way to separate lignin, the substance that binds wood fibres, from the streams of kraft pulp mills without the sulphuric acid that current methods use. Pulp mills usually burn lignin for energy; LignEasy wants to sell it as a raw material for phenolic resins in plywood, polyurethane foams and packaging. It was selected in the EIC Accelerator's March 2023 cut-off and received an EU grant of €2.03 million for a €2.90 million project that ran from September 2023 to February 2026, according to CORDIS. The plan included a pilot plant next to an operating pulp mill, customer testing and the design of "a full-scale plant for 50 000 ton per year".

The project is closed, but CORDIS holds only its first periodic report, to August 2024, which said LignEasy was commissioning a pilot plant with a capacity of one tonne of lignin a day at the RISE LignoCity test site in Bäckhammar, Sweden, according to the CORDIS reporting page. The company says the pilot is "fully operational", and in 2025 it shipped its first large batch to a customer and ran the process continuously for 72 hours, according to its news page. No flagship plant location has been announced.

Where LignEasy Stands Now

LignEasy's accounts show revenue of €15,000 and an operating loss of €357,000 in 2025, with five employees, according to Asiakastieto. In September 2024 it announced a €1 million investment from EIT InnoEnergy. Its news page has no update since a June 2025 newsletter.

The Technology: Recovering Lignin Without Acid

The established way to extract lignin from pulp mill black liquor uses heavy chemistry, including sulphuric acid, which upsets the mill's chemical balance and produces a lignin that is hard to process further, the first report says. LignEasy's filtration-based process is designed to fit any kraft mill without disrupting it and to relieve the recovery boiler, often the bottleneck in older mills. A market study of more than 15 applications found phenolic resins and polyurethane the most promising.

What the EIC Award Promised, and What the Record Shows

The project promised a pilot demonstration, customer testing and a full-scale plant design. The pilot was built and runs, and samples have gone to customers. Whether the 50,000-tonne design was completed and whether any pulp mill has agreed to host it is not public, since the final report has not appeared.

1. Pilot plantDelivered1 t/day at LignoCity.
2. Customer testingDeliveredBig-bag shipment, 2025.
3. Full-scale designUnverifiedNo final report.
4. Flagship plant siteNot announcedNo mill named.

The Money

The EU paid 70% of the project, and its grant was twice the €1 million equity investment LignEasy announced. Operating losses have been modest, below €400,000 a year, which reflects a small team. How a 50,000-tonne plant would be financed has not been disclosed.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Lignin makes up 20 to 30% of plant cell walls, the first report says, and most of it is burned. Turning it into bio-based chemicals could replace fossil ingredients in resins and foams. LignEasy has shown its process works at pilot scale; industrial scale is the next and much harder step.

The Verdict

LignEasy and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.