Valorization of Kraft Lignin by Fractionation and Chemical Modifications for Different Applications

Abstract: AbstractLignin is one of the most abundant biopolymers. Approximately 70 million tons of technical lignin is generated annually, but only little is used for products other than energy. The complexity of lignin hinders full utilization in high-value products and materials. In spite of the large recent progress of knowledge of lignin structure and biosynthesis, much is still not fully understood, including structural inhomogeneity. We made synthetic lignin at different pH’s and obtained structural differences that might explain the structural inhomogeneity of lignin.Technical lignins from the chemical pulping are available in large scale, but the processes result in alterations, such as oxidation and condensation. Therefore, to utilize technical lignin, modifications, such as fractionation and/or chemical modifications are necessary. Fractionation with ceramic membranes is one way to lower the polydispersity of lignin. The main advantage is their tolerance towards high temperature and harsh conditions. We demonstrated that low Mw lignin was extracted from industrially produced LignoBoost lignin aiming: i) to investigate the performance of the membrane over time; ii) to analyze the antioxidant properties of the low Mw lignin.Chemical modification can also improve the properties of lignin. By adding moieties, different properties can be obtained. Amination and methacrylation of kraft lignin were performed, as well as lignin-silica hybrid materials with potential for the adsorption were produced and investigated.Non-modified and methacrylated lignin were used to synthesize lignin-St-DVB porous microspheres to be utilized as a sorbent for organic pollutants. The possibility to substitute styrene with methacrylated lignin was evaluated, demonstrating that interaction between lignin and DVB, and porosity increased.Lignin has certain antibacterial properties. Un-modified and modified (aminated) lignin samples and sphere nanoparticles of lignin were tested for their effect against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria’s and an injectable hydrogel was developed with encapsulated lignin for being used as an injectable gel for the open wounds. Results demonstrated promising antibacterial efficiency of lignins against gram-positive, more especially better inhibition with aminated lignins against gram-positive and negative bacterium.