ForMatter/Materials/biomaterial/Lignin (Arboform Liquid Wood)
mat_lignin_arboform

Lignin (Arboform Liquid Wood)

lignin-based thermoplastic, wood-derived · Arboform, liquid wood, lignin thermoplastic
mediumlast updated 2026-04-27
metallic 0.00
hue shift +0°

An injection-moldable thermoplastic made from lignin — the second-most-abundant biopolymer on Earth (after cellulose), and a paper-pulping waste stream that for decades had no high-value use. Tecnaro's Arboform compounds lignin with natural fibers and additives to a melt-processable pellet that runs on standard injection-molding machinery and produces parts with the warm color and feel of dark wood.

Compound of lignin (often kraft-pulping byproduct) with natural fibers (hemp, flax) and biopolymer additives, from Tecnaro GmbH. Melt-processes at ~150–200 °C on conventional injection-molding equipment. Tensile 35–65 MPa, density 1.3–1.4 g/cm³. Color characteristically warm brown to near-black depending on lignin source. Different grades cover rigid, semi-flexible, and food-contact ranges.

mechanical

  • tensile_strength_mpa50
  • elastic_modulus_gpa5
  • density_kg_m31370
source: Tecnaro Arboform technical bulletin

thermal

  • service_max_c110
source: Tecnaro datasheet

Sustainability

  • embodied carbon kg co2e per kg1.5
  • sourceEditorial estimate from ICE / Granta CES EduPack class databases — industry mean, with cradle-to-gate boundary unless otherwise noted. Embodied carbon for any specific product depends on supplier mix, recycled content, and energy grid; verify against a primary source before using these numbers in a sustainability claim.
  • recyclabilityhigh — biodegradable (timeline depends on additive package), uses pulping waste stream
  • biodegradableTrue
  • certificationsDIN EN 13432 (compostable, per grade)
visual
warm brown to dark brown, often with visible natural-fiber inclusions
tactile
slightly textured by natural fibers; warmer-feeling than fully synthetic thermoplastics

PBR starter values

Principled BSDF defaults derived from the sphere matte finish. Reasonable seed for Blender, Substance, Keyshot, Rhino — tune per material.

# finish:      matte
albedo        #5a3818
metallic      0.00
roughness     0.75
ior           1.45
transmission  0.00
clearcoat     0.00
sheen         0.00
anisotropic   0.00
copy as JSON 
{
  "albedo": "#5a3818",
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.75,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "transmission": 0.0,
  "clearcoat": 0.0,
  "sheen": 0.0,
  "anisotropic": 0.0
}
Blender 4.x Python 
# Blender 4.x — Principled BSDF
# Lignin (Arboform Liquid Wood) · finish: matte
import bpy
mat = bpy.data.materials.new(name="mat_lignin_arboform")
mat.use_nodes = True
bsdf = mat.node_tree.nodes["Principled BSDF"]
bsdf.inputs["Base Color"].default_value         = (0.1022, 0.0395, 0.0091, 1.0)
bsdf.inputs["Metallic"].default_value           = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Roughness"].default_value          = 0.750
bsdf.inputs["IOR"].default_value                = 1.450
bsdf.inputs["Transmission Weight"].default_value = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Coat Weight"].default_value        = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Sheen Weight"].default_value       = 0.000
bsdf.inputs["Anisotropic"].default_value        = 0.000
KeyShot Python (lux) 
# KeyShot 11+ — lux Python API, Generic material
# Lignin (Arboform Liquid Wood) · finish: matte
# Run from Window → Scripting Console
import lux
mat = lux.createMaterial(name="mat_lignin_arboform", materialType="Generic")
mat.setProperty("diffuse",      (90, 56, 24))   # 8-bit sRGB
mat.setProperty("metallic",     0.000)
mat.setProperty("roughness",    0.750)
mat.setProperty("indexOfRefraction", 1.450)
mat.setProperty("transparency", 0.000)
mat.setProperty("coatingWeight", 0.000)
Substance pbrMetalRough 
{
  "_format": "Substance Designer / Painter \u2014 pbrMetalRough constants",
  "_about": "Lignin (Arboform Liquid Wood) \u00b7 finish: matte",
  "baseColor": {
    "r": 0.1022,
    "g": 0.0395,
    "b": 0.0091
  },
  "metallic": 0.0,
  "roughness": 0.75,
  "ior": 1.45,
  "opacity": 1.0,
  "anisotropyLevel": 0.0,
  "_notes": "Channels listed are the standard Substance pbrMetalRough output. Drop into a Uniform Color node per channel, or as the constant input on a layered stack."
}
glTF 2.0 Metallic-Roughness 
{
  "asset": {
    "version": "2.0",
    "generator": "ForMatter"
  },
  "materials": [
    {
      "name": "mat_lignin_arboform",
      "pbrMetallicRoughness": {
        "baseColorFactor": [
          0.1022,
          0.0395,
          0.0091,
          1.0
        ],
        "metallicFactor": 0.0,
        "roughnessFactor": 0.75
      },
      "extensions": {
        "KHR_materials_ior": {
          "ior": 1.45
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}
USD Preview Surface 
# USD Preview Surface — UsdShade.MaterialLook prim attributes
# Lignin (Arboform Liquid Wood) · finish: matte
def Material "mat_lignin_arboform" {
    token outputs:surface.connect = </mat_lignin_arboform/PreviewSurface.outputs:surface>

    def Shader "PreviewSurface" {
        uniform token info:id = "UsdPreviewSurface"
        color3f inputs:diffuseColor = (0.1022, 0.0395, 0.0091)
        float   inputs:metallic     = 0.000
        float   inputs:roughness    = 0.750
        float   inputs:ior          = 1.450
        float   inputs:opacity      = 1.000
        float   inputs:clearcoat    = 0.000
        token   outputs:surface
    }
}
↓ download glTF material
ProcessInjection Molding
Substitutes
PHA (Polyhydroxyalkanoate)
PLA (Polylactic Acid)

Citations