SmartProSys Isolation and valorization of lignin

Isolation and valorization of lignin

Isolation and valorization of lignin for the conversion to bio-based chemicals and materials

Currently, around 90% of the raw materials used in chemical production are derived from fossil-based resources. As fossil resources continue to deplete and their use accelerates climate change, it is crucial to shift towards renewable and sustainable alternatives.

Lignin, a complex heteropolymer found in plant biomass, is the most abundant source of aromatics on earth and offers significant potential for the production of bio-based chemicals and materials.

Using computational and experimental methods, Laura König-Mattern, Arul Ponnudurai, Prof. Heike Lorenz, and Prof. Kai Sundmacher from the Otto von Guericke University and the Max Planck Institute Magdeburg develop as part of the SmartProSys initiative sustainable separation processes for lignin isolation from biomass and for lignin valorization by fractionation. In this way, they make lignin available for the conversion to bio-based chemicals and materials.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1385894724050137

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1383586624000820

#renewableresources #greenchemistry #computationalchemistry #circulareconomy #biorefineries #lignin #ligninfractionation #sustainableprocesses #bioeconomy

Pictures:

Laura König-Mattern is preparing a solvent-based extraction procedure.

Arul Ponnudurai sets up the reactor for a lignin fractionation experiment.

The illustration shows a lignin molecule, a complex heteropolymer.