“Environmentally friendly” is not a defined term, so the useful question is which environmental facts can be documented for sodium lignosulfonate, and where its limits are. Below are both, based on its origin and its safety data sheet.
Points in its favour
- Renewable raw material. It is made from lignin in wood, recovered from the liquor left after sulfite pulping.
- Uses a side stream. The liquor would otherwise be burned or treated; turning it into a product gives it a use.
- Not classified as hazardous. Its SDS states it is not classified as hazardous under normal industrial handling, based on available data.
- Expected to degrade. The SDS describes it as derived from natural lignin and expected to be inherently biodegradable, and not expected to bioaccumulate.
Limits to keep in mind
- It is not tested for every claim. There is no product-specific aquatic toxicity or standard biodegradation test for our product.
- It affects water quality in large amounts. Concentrated solutions add colour and organic load (COD); do not discharge large quantities into drains or waterways.
- Processing uses energy. Evaporation and spray drying use heat. Without a life-cycle assessment, no carbon-footprint figure can be given.
- Not every lignin product is the same. Chrome lignosulfonate contains chromium and has to be disposed of as chromium-containing waste.
How to describe it in your own reporting
Statements you can support with our documents: “bio-based raw material recovered from sulfite pulping liquor”, “not classified as hazardous under GHS according to the supplier SDS”, and “expected to be inherently biodegradable according to the supplier SDS”. Avoid “non-toxic” or “100% biodegradable”, which the data does not support.
Documents for this are listed on ESG documents. Product specifications are on the sodium lignosulfonate product page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sodium lignosulfonate biodegradable?
Its SDS describes it as derived from natural lignin and expected to be inherently biodegradable. Our product has not been tested to a standard biodegradation method, so a percentage cannot be given.
Is sodium lignosulfonate bio-based?
Yes. It is made from lignin in wood, recovered from sulfite pulping liquor. No bio-based carbon test has been run, so we do not state a percentage.
Can I call sodium lignosulfonate non-toxic?
We do not recommend it. The SDS states it is not classified as hazardous and that lignosulfonates are generally regarded as having low aquatic toxicity, but there is no product-specific toxicity data to support “non-toxic”.