Abstract
Increased consumption of fossil fuels has resulted in environmental pollution and global warming. Therefore, chemical industry is making efforts to find sustainable and alternative renewable resources. Plant biomass, especially lignin, is one of the most abundant natural renewable raw materials. Currently, most of this resource (∼98%) is burnt; therefore, material potential of lignin remains largely untamed. Lignin can be used either chemically modified or in native form, as a component for copolymers and composites, heavy metal sequestrant, emulsifier, dispersant agent for pesticides, or adhesives, yet it possesses more potential for developing green products. Depending on the methods adopted for extraction, several lignin preparations have been reported including Kraft lignin, lignosulfonates, organosolv lignin, and steam-exploded lignin. Preparation of lignin using ionic liquids (ILs) is an emerging technology, and keen interest in this area is increasing exponentially. Along with the comparison of different extraction methods, utilization of currently available and prospecting future lignin preparations has been summarized in this chapter.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adler E (1977) Lignin chemistry-past, present and future. Wood Sci Technol 11:169–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00365615
Agrawal A, Kaushik N, Biswas S (2014) Derivatives and applications of lignin – an insight. SciTech J 1:30–36
Alzagameem A, Klein SE, Bergs M et al (2019) Antimicrobial activity of lignin and lignin-derived cellulose and chitosan composites against selected pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. Polymers (Basel) 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym11040670
Arapova OV, Chistyakov AV, Tsodikov MV, Moiseev II (2020) Lignin as a renewable resource of hydrocarbon products and energy carriers (a review). Pet Chem 60:227–243. https://doi.org/10.1134/S0965544120030044
Azadi P, Inderwildi OR, Farnood R, King DA (2013) Liquid fuels, hydrogen and chemicals from lignin: a critical review. Renew Sust Energ Rev 21:506–523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2012.12.022
Bajwa DS, Pourhashem G, Ullah AH, Bajwa SG (2019) A concise review of current lignin production, applications, products and their environment impact. Ind Crop Prod 139:111526. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2019.111526
Baker DA, Rials TG (2013) Recent advances in low-cost carbon fiber manufacture from lignin. J Appl Polym Sci 130:713–728. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.39273
Boerjan W, Ralph J, Baucher M (2003) Lignin Biosynthesis. Annu Rev Plant Biol 54:519–546. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.arplant.54.031902.134938
Brien JAO, Daudi A, Butt VS, Bolwell GP (2012) Reactive oxygen species and their role in plant defence and cell wall metabolism. Planta 236:765–779. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-012-1696-9
Bykov I (2008) Characterization of natural and technical lignins using FTIR spectroscopy. Master's Thesis submissted to Lulea University of Technology, Sweden 1–43.
Calvo-Flores FG, Dobado JA (2010) Lignin as renewable raw material. ChemSusChem 3:1227–1235. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201000157
Chakar FS, Ragauskas AJ (2004) Review of current and future softwood kraft lignin process chemistry. Ind Crop Prod 20:131–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2004.04.016
Cruz JM, Domínguez JM, Domínguez H, Parajó JC (2001) Antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of extracts from hydrolysates of lignocellulosic materials. J Agric Food Chem 49:2459–2464. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf001237h
Doherty WOS, Mousavioun P, Fellows CM (2011) Value-adding to cellulosic ethanol: Lignin polymers. Ind Crop Prod 33:259–276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.10.022
Edwards PP, Kuznetsov VL, David WIF, Brandon NP (2008) Hydrogen and fuel cells: towards a sustainable energy future. Energy Policy 36:4356–4362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2008.09.036
Ejaz U, Sohail M (2020a) Supporting role of lignin in immobilization of yeast on sugarcane bagasse for continuous pectinase production. J Sci Food Agric. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.10764
Ejaz U, Sohail M (2020b) Ionic liquids: green solvent for biomass pretreatment. In: Nanotechnology-based industrial applications of ionic liquids. Springer Nature, Switzerland. pp 27–36
Ejaz U, Muhammad S, Ali FI et al (2019) Methyltrioctylammonium chloride mediated removal of lignin from sugarcane bagasse for thermostable cellulase production. Int J Biol Macromol 140:1064–1072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.08.206
Ejaz U, Muhammad S, Hashmi IA et al (2020a) Utilization of methyltrioctylammonium chloride as new ionic liquid in pretreatment of sugarcane bagasse for production of cellulase by novel thermophilic bacteria. J Biotechnol 317:34–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2020.04.013
Ejaz U, Muhammad S, Imran F et al (2020b) Cellulose extraction from methyltrioctylammonium chloride pretreated sugarcane bagasse and its application. Int J Biol Macromol 165:11–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.09.151
El Hage R, Brosse N, Sannigrahi P, Ragauskas A (2010) Effects of process severity on the chemical structure of Miscanthus ethanol organosolv lignin. Polym Degrad Stab 95:997–1003. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymdegradstab.2010.03.012
Fu D, Mazza G (2011) Aqueous ionic liquid pretreatment of straw. Bioresour Technol 102:7008–7011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2011.04.049
Galkin MV, Samec JSM (2016) Lignin valorization through catalytic lignocellulose fractionation: a fundamental platform for the future biorefinery. ChemSusChem 9:1544–1558. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201600237
Glasser WG, Davé V, Frazier CE (1993) Molecular weight distribution of (semi-) commercial lignin derivatives. J Wood Chem Technol 13:545–559. https://doi.org/10.1080/02773819308020533
Irmer J (2017) Lignin – a natural resource with huge potential. BIOPRO Baden-württemb GmbH. pp 1–6
Khan MT, Ejaz U, Sohail M (2020) Evaluation of factors affecting saccharification of sugarcane bagasse using cellulase preparation from a thermophilic strain of Brevibacillus. Curr Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-020-02059-3
Kline LM, Hayes DG, Womac AR, Labbé N (2010) Simplified determination of lignin content in hard and soft woods via UV-spectrophotometric analysis of biomass dissolved in ionic liquids. BioResources 5:1366–1383. https://doi.org/10.15376/biores.5.3.1366-1383
Korányi TI, Fridrich B, Pineda A, Barta K (2020) Development of ‘lignin-first’ approaches for the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass. Molecules 25:2815
Kumar A, Anushree KJ, Bhaskar T (2020) Utilization of lignin: a sustainable and eco-friendly approach. J Energy Inst 93:235–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joei.2019.03.005
Lan W, Liu CF, Sun RC (2011) Fractionation of bagasse into cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin with ionic liquid treatment followed by alkaline extraction. J Agric Food Chem 59:8691–8701. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf201508g
Lateef H, Grimes S, Kewcharoenwong P, Feinberg B (2009) Separation and recovery of cellulose and lignin using ionic liquids: a process for recovery from paper-based waste. J Chem Technol Biotechnol 84:1818–1827. https://doi.org/10.1002/jctb.2251
Lee SH, Doherty TV, Linhardt RJ, Dordick JS (2009) Ionic liquid-mediated selective extraction of lignin from wood leading to enhanced enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis. Biotechnol Bioeng 102:1368–1376. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.22179
Li X, He Y, Zhang L et al (2019) Discovery of potential pathways for biological conversion of poplar wood into lipids by co-fermentation of Rhodococci strains. Biotechnol Biofuels 12:1–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-019-1395-x
Liu C (2012) Deciphering the enigma of lignification: precursor transport, oxidation, and the topochemistry of lignin assembly. Mol Plant 5:304–317. https://doi.org/10.1093/mp/ssr121
Luo H, Abu-Omar MM (2017) Chemicals from lignin. Elsevier, Netherland
Mandlekar N, Cayla A, Rault F et al (2018) An overview on the use of lignin and its derivatives in fire retardant polymer systems. In: Lignin – trends and applications. IntechOpen, London, UK
Menezes FFD, Rencoret J, Nakanishi SC et al (2017) Alkaline pretreatment severity leads to different lignin applications in sugarcane biorefineries. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 5:5702–5712
Moreno A, Sipponen MH (2020) Lignin-based smart materials: a roadmap to processing and synthesis for current and future applications. Mater Horiz 7:2237–2257. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0mh00798f
Olivier-Bourbigou H, Magna L, Morvan D (2010) Ionic liquids and catalysis: recent progress from knowledge to applications. Appl Catal A Gen 373:1–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2009.10.008
Pandey MP, Kim CS (2011) Lignin depolymerization and conversion: a review of thermochemical methods. Chem Eng Technol 34:29–41.
Pin TC, Nascimento VM, Costa AC et al (2020) Structural characterization of sugarcane lignins extracted from different protic ionic liquid pretreatments. Renew Energy 161:579–592. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2020.07.078
Pinkert A, Goeke DF, Marsh KN, Pang S (2011) Extracting wood lignin without dissolving or degrading cellulose: investigations on the use of food additive-derived ionic liquids. Green Chem 13:3124–3136. https://doi.org/10.1039/c1gc15671c
Prinsen P, Rencoret J, Gutiérrez A et al (2013) Modification of the lignin structure during alkaline delignification of eucalyptus wood by kraft, soda-AQ, and soda-O2 cooking. Ind Eng Chem Res 52:15702–15712. https://doi.org/10.1021/ie401364d
Pu Y, Jiang N, Ragauskas AJ (2007) Ionic liquid as a green solvent for lignin. J Wood Chem Technol 27:23–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/02773810701282330
Pye EK (2008) Industrial lignin production and applications. In: Biorefineries-industrial processes andProducts: Status quo and future directions. WILEY-VCH Verlag GmBH Co
Río C, Lino AG, Colodette JL et al (2015) Differences in the chemical structure of the lignins from sugarcane bagasse and straw. Biomass Bioenergy 81:322–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.07.006
Strassberger Z, Prinsen P, Van Der Klis F et al (2015) Lignin solubilisation and gentle fractionation in liquid ammonia. Green Chem 17:325–334. https://doi.org/10.1039/c4gc01143k
Sun N, Rahman M, Qin Y et al (2009) Complete dissolution and partial delignification of wood in the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate. Green Chem 11:646–665. https://doi.org/10.1039/b822702k
Tejado A, Peña C, Labidi J et al (2007) Physico-chemical characterization of lignins from different sources for use in phenol-formaldehyde resin synthesis. Bioresour Technol 98:1655–1663. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2006.05.042
Thakur VK, Thakur MK (2015) Recent advances in green hydrogels from lignin: a review. Int J Biol Macromol 72:834–847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2014.09.044
Thielemans W, Wool RP (2005) Lignin esters for use in unsaturated thermosets: lignin modification and solubility modeling. Biomacromolecules 6:1895–1905. https://doi.org/10.1021/bm0500345
Toh K, Nakano S, Yokoyama H et al (2005) Anti-deterioration effect of lignin as an ultraviolet absorbent in polypropylene and polyethylene. Polym J 37:633–635. https://doi.org/10.1295/polymj.37.633
Vinardell MP, Ugartondo V, Mitjans M (2008) Potential applications of antioxidant lignins from different sources. Ind Crop Prod 27:220–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2007.07.011
Wang B, Chen TY, Wang HM et al (2018) Amination of biorefinery technical lignins using Mannich reaction synergy with subcritical ethanol depolymerization. Int J Biol Macromol 107:426–435. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.09.012
Zakzeski J, Bruijnincx PCA, Jongerius AL, Weckhuysen BM (2010) The catalytic valorization of lignin for the production of renewable chemicals. Chem Rev 110:3552–3599. https://doi.org/10.1021/cr900354u
Zhang L, LeBoeuf EJ (2009) A molecular dynamics study of natural organic matter: 1. Lignin, kerogen and soot. Org Geochem 40:1132–1142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orggeochem.2009.08.002
Zhao Z-M, Liu Z-H, Pu Y et al (2020) Emerging strategies for modifying lignin chemistry to enhance biological lignin valorization. ChemSusChem. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202001401
Relevant Websites
Department of Energy [DOE] (2007) Alternative, renewable and novel feedstocks for producing chemicals. Department of Energy [DOE], Washington, DC. Available at: http://www1. eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/pdfs/v2020_alternate_feedstock_report.pdf
Grand View Research (GVR) (2015) Lining market analysis. Grand View Research [GVR], San Francisco. Available at: http://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/lignin-market
NNFCC (National Non Food Crops Centre (UK)) (2011) NNFCC renewable chemicals factsheet: lignin. NNFCC, New York. Available at: http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/publications/nnfccrenewable-chemicals-factsheet-lignin
US Energy Information Administration [EIA] (2016) Monthly energy review. Available at: http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/archive/00351604.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Ejaz, U., Sohail, M. (2021). Lignin: A Renewable Chemical Feedstock. In: Hussain, C.M., Di Sia, P. (eds) Handbook of Smart Materials, Technologies, and Devices. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58675-1_55-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58675-1_55-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-58675-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-58675-1
eBook Packages: Springer Reference EngineeringReference Module Computer Science and Engineering