Barriers and incentives for the use of lignin-based resins: Results of a comparative importance performance analysis

This paper describes the results of an investigation on potential diffusion gaps and information asymmetries of bio-based innovations identified during the R&D stage. The first goal of the study was to identify specific barriers and incentives (i.e. diffusion gaps) regarding technological, economic and environmental aspects of two lignin-based products. The second goal of the study was to highlight potential information asymmetries between different stakeholder groups. The gaps, identified via an importance performance analysis, represent the potential bottlenecks in the innovation diffusion process of bio-based products. Two cases were considered: The use of kraft lignin in phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins for wood-based panels and the use of kraft lignin in polyurethane (PU) resins for PU foams. In both cases much research was carried out to improve the technical feasibility of lignin to increase the amount of lignin in resins without degrading the resin's properties. Still, unlocking lignin's fully potential for economical production of value-added products is restricted by multiple barriers. Uncertainties concerning techno-economic interactions greatly hinders long-term and strategic industrial planning. The findings of the study demonstrate the importance of technical aspects, such as reactivity and constant quality of lignin as a raw material and highlight the influence of additional economic perspectives, such as, the issue of unknown prices for lignin. The results indicate that even if the available quantities of lignin increase, the manufacturing industry might not be able to directly incorporate the technical lignin due to quality differences. This finding is supported by other identified barriers, such as procedural switching costs, associated with finding a new supplier. Furthermore, it was possible to demonstrate the need for cross-sectoral collaborations and new cooperation between stakeholders throughout the entire value chain to finally bridge the valley of death for lignin-based resins. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.