Issue 3, 2022

Protected lignin biorefining through cyclic extraction: gaining fundamental insights into the tuneable properties of lignin by chemometrics

Abstract

Lignin is a renewable source of aromatics with great potential as a substitute for fossil-based phenolic compounds that are used in several material applications. However, the available technical lignins are heterogenic and still structurally not fully understood. This presents hurdles for studies focused on gaining fundamental insights into how materials properties are related to the molecular structure of lignin. In the present study, a novel cyclic extraction process for lignin is more deeply studied to investigate the potential to tailor the chemical and physical properties of lignin. For this purpose, a design of experiment (DoE) approach was adopted as a tool to investigate the effect on the lignin properties of the selected parameters by including linear, quadratic and interaction effects in a multiple linear regression (MLR) model. Molecular characterization techniques included 1D and 2D NMR, SEC and DSC. It was clearly demonstrated that the chemical and physical properties of lignin could be tuned for the cyclic process using the DoE approach, while preserving 66–82% of the commonly known lignin inter-units, substantiating that the cyclic extraction approach offered a decent to excellent level of protection to inter-units when compared to benchmark organosolv and kraft lignin. By manipulation of the extraction conditions, the β-O-4′ content can be tuned between 20 and 35% simultaneously with the content of phenolic and aliphatic hydroxyls. Finally, DSC studies showed Tgs in the range of 150–185 °C which are discussed with respect to the molecular properties of the analysed lignin. Overall, to advance efforts in lignin valorization, a green process to produce a library of well-characterized lignins, tailored with respect to chemical and physical properties by process conditions, is presented.

Graphical abstract: Protected lignin biorefining through cyclic extraction: gaining fundamental insights into the tuneable properties of lignin by chemometrics

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
08 Nov 2021
Accepted
21 Dec 2021
First published
22 Dec 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Green Chem., 2022,24, 1211-1223

Protected lignin biorefining through cyclic extraction: gaining fundamental insights into the tuneable properties of lignin by chemometrics

M. Karlsson, V. L. Vegunta, R. Deshpande and M. Lawoko, Green Chem., 2022, 24, 1211 DOI: 10.1039/D1GC04171A

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements