Stora Enso and Volkswagen-backed Northvolt to build wood-based EV battery

Stora Enso and Northvolt have teamed up to develop wood-based EV batteries.

Lumber giant Stora Enso and European battery and fuel cell company, Northvolt, are joining forces to create sustainable batteries using lignin-based hard carbon produced with renewable wood from the Nordic forests.

The aim is to develop the world’s first industrialized battery featuring anode sourced entirely from European raw materials, lowering both the carbon footprint and the cost.

Northvolt has the backing of Volkswagen. In November 2021, the carmaker pumped $620 million into Northvolt that will be used for research and development, recycling, and production expansions. In 2019, Volkswagen invested about €900 million ($920 million U.S.). 

Stora Enso and Northvolt entered into a Joint Development Agreement to create a sustainable battery featuring anode produced from renewable raw materials sourced sustainably and locally in the Nordic countries.

“The joint battery development with Northvolt marks a step on our journey to serve the fast-growing battery market with renewable anode materials made from trees. Our lignin-based hard carbon, Lignode by Stora Enso, will secure the strategic European supply of anode raw material, serving the sustainable battery needs for applications from mobility to stationary energy storage,” said Johanna Hagelberg, Executive Vice President for Biomaterials at Stora Enso.

Both companies bring key components, competence, and expertise to the battery partnership. Stora Enso will provide its lignin-based anode material Lignode, originating from sustainably managed forests, while Northvolt will drive cell design, production process development, and scale-up of the technology.

“With this partnership, we are exploring a new source of sustainable raw material and expanding the European battery value chain, while also developing less expensive battery chemistry. It is an exciting demonstration of how our pursuit of a sustainable battery industry goes hand-in-hand with creating a positive impact both on society and cost,” said Emma Nehrenheim, Chief Environmental Officer at Northvolt. 

Lignin is a plant-derived polymer found in the cell walls of dry-land plants. Trees are composed of 20–30% of lignin, which acts as a natural and strong binder. It is one of the biggest renewable sources of carbon anywhere.

Stora Enso’s pilot plant for bio-based carbon materials is located at the Group’s Sunila production site in Finland, where lignin has been industrially produced since 2015. The annual lignin production capacity is 50,000 tonnes, making Stora Enso the largest kraft lignin producer in the world. The Group is also evaluating its first industrial production of Lignode at the Sunila site through a feasibility study.

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Larry Adams | Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).