No abstract

About 50 million tons of lignin are produced annually in the pulping industry worldwide. A traditional example for lignin research is its use as a resin additive in wood based panels. The aim of this study was to find out why technical lignin has not so far succeeded in substituting for phenolic resins in the wood based panel industry. Interviews were carried out using a multistage expert interview approach adapted from Delphi methods. After the principal factors were identified and verified, quantitative data were taken for the valuation. Technical product properties received the highest ratings by the consulted experts, followed by security of supply, price difference and productivity, which received almost the same overall ratings. Interestingly, researchers rated security of supply much lower than the industry representatives. Depending on fulfilment of criteria identified, the experts expected that between 10 and 30% of phenolic resin can be potentially substituted within the next 10 years.

Technical research projects often target innovative high-value products. These products may serve dynamic and fast-growing markets. However, while the general demand for such products may be very high and a lot of technical research is carried out in developing the respective processes, only very few new technologies and products are commercially realized and placed on the market. In order to widen the market focus toward a more comprehensive understanding of technical development, this study presents a mix of methods, including production cost analysis, business-to-business survey, and market impact assessment. When it comes to exploring a new technology that produces bioactive substances from wood, this article shows how the previously mentioned methods can be adapted, applied, and integrated for its successful commercialization.

Fibre-reinforced composites are an important field of composite research and are used in an enormous range of applications from special high-tech applications such as aeronautics to consumer goods such as sporting goods. The objective of this study is to assess the monetary value of fibres to be used for reinforcement in composites by the relation of price and certain fibre properties. To model this, relationship data from different types of technical fibres were used. An economic approach is used to identify the determinants of fibre value. In total, four regression models were calculated. The models give an impression of the impact of the explanatory variables. This work shows that the evaluation of the economic value of a reinforcement fibre by technical properties is feasible.