New model to help valorize lignin for bio-based applications

Woody biomass and wheat straw are all sources of the natural polymer lignin with more than 50 megatons of lignin produced annually at commercial scale. However, most is burned to produce energy, which alternatively could be used to make useful chemicals. A major issue with producing chemicals from lignin though is that the properties of lignin vary from source to source and from season to season. Such variability can affect the yield and quality of the chemicals produced from lignin. In a TU/e-led study, researchers have developed and tested a new and efficient model to predict the yield of lignin with specific chemical properties that are important for the production of biobased chemicals, materials, or fuels. To date, most lignin derived from sources such as agricultural waste materials or woody biomass is burned to produce energy. As a renewable raw material, this can be seen as a waste. Researchers are looking for ways to use organic lignin as a reliable raw material for the chemical industry to make resins, foams, and biofuels. As a source, woody biomass can be grown relatively fast, and thus it provides easy access to lignin for the long-term production of chemicals. This is an idealized view of the situation though. "The major problem is that the properties of lignin are both unpredictable and variable, and this affects its usability," says Mark Vis , assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and research lead of the new study published in Green Chemistry . So, why is the unpredictability of lignin properties a bad thing?