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Recent Industrial Applications of Lignin: A Sustainable Alternative to Nonrenewable Materials

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Abstract

Lignin represents a vastly under-utilized natural polymer co-generated during papermaking and biomass fractionation. Different types of lignin exist, and these differ with regard to isolation protocol and plant resource (i.e., wood type or agricultural harvesting residue). The incorporation of lignin into polymeric systems has been demonstrated, and this depends on solubility and reactivity characteristics. Several industrial utilization examples are presented for sulfur-free, water-insoluble lignins. These include materials for automotive brakes, wood panel products, biodispersants, polyurethane foams, and epoxy resins for printed circuit boards.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Granit S. A, Media, Pennsylvania, 19063

    Jairo H. Lora

  2. Department of Wood Science and Forest Products, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, 24061

    Wolfgang G. Glasser

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  1. Jairo H. Lora
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  2. Wolfgang G. Glasser
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Correspondence to Wolfgang G. Glasser.

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Lora, J.H., Glasser, W.G. Recent Industrial Applications of Lignin: A Sustainable Alternative to Nonrenewable Materials. Journal of Polymers and the Environment 10, 39–48 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021070006895

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