Lignin for Bioeconomy: The Present and Future Role of Technical Lignin

Abstract

Lignin, the term commonly used in literature, represents a group of heterogeneous aromatic compounds of plant origin. Protolignin or lignin in the cell wall is entirely different from the commercially available technical lignin due to changes during the delignification process. In this paper, we assess the status of lignin valorization in terms of commercial products. We start with existing knowledge of the lignin/protolignin structure in its native form and move to the technical lignin from various sources. Special attention is given to the patents and lignin-based commercial products. We observed that the technical lignin-based commercial products utilize coarse properties of the technical lignin in marketed formulations. Additionally, the general principles of polymers chemistry and self-assembly are difficult to apply in lignin-based nanotechnology, and lignin-centric investigations must be carried out. The alternate upcoming approach is to develop lignin-centric or lignin first bio-refineries for high-value applications; however, that brings its own technological challenges. The assessment of the gap between lab-scale applications and lignin-based commercial products delineates the challenges lignin nanoparticles-based technologies must meet to be a commercially viable alternative.

Multifunctional lignin-based nanocomposites and nanohybrids

“…During the recent years, there have been many reviews on lignin nanoparticles and their applications, 9,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]29 chemical and microbial transformation of lignin to chemicals and polymer precursors, 30,31 and chemical functionalization and processing of lignin into various materials (not in the nanoscale). 2,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] Though many of the prior reviews discuss formulation of lignin-based polymers and composite systems, [41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49] the literature is lacking a review on nanocomposites and hybrid materials based on lignin. These two classes of materials are quickly gaining momentum.…”

Recent Advances in Renewable Polymer Production from Lignin-Derived Aldehydes

“…Organosolv lignin is sulfur-free and has many reactive sites, employed as additives to inks, paints, and coatings. Detailed comparison of characteristics of various technical lignin can be found in a recent review by Ekielski and Mishra [41].…”

Targeted Substituted-Phenol Production by Strategic Hydrogenolysis of Sugar-Cane Lignin

“…This could be achieved by a suitable pre-treatment in the extraction step, resulting in a biopolymer richer in alkyl-O-aryl-type of linkages. In a biorefinery context [5,30], this is a relevant strategy as it is based on sustainable production of platform chemicals from waste. In this study, an approach of using a less condensed sugar-cane lignin, an authentic biomass-derived material, was used to obtain value-added chemicals.…”