The company expects to launch lignin-based plastics and 3-D printing filaments within the next two years, and carbon fiber composites in about three years.
McCall tells Knoxville News Sentinel that while industrial biotechnology efforts have focused on the cellulose and hemicellulose portions of biomass, Prisma Renewable Composites was focused from the start on using lignin. However, it remains relatively agnostic about end products.
“We were stubborn about lignin, but we were very open-minded about the end applications,” McCall says. “Is it good for the country? Does it still utilize biomass? And most importantly, is it something that a customer is going to pay for? If it’s packaging, if it’s carbon fiber, I don’t care.” McCall adds that the company sources its lignin from biomass industry waste at low cost.