Lignin Valorization: Improving Lignin Processing in the Biorefinery
2014
Ragauskas, Arthur J. | Beckham, Gregg T. | Biddy, Mary J. | Chandra, Richard | Chen, Fang | Davis, Mark F. | Davison, Brian H. | Dixon, Richard A. | Gilna, Paul | Keller, Martin | Langan, Paul | Naskar, Amit K. | Saddler, Jack N. | Tschaplinski, Timothy J. | Tuskan, Gerald A. | Wyman, Charles E.
The Lignin Landscape Lignin is a chemically complex polymer that lends woody plants and trees their rigidity. Humans have traditionally either left it intact to lend rigidity to their own wooden constructs, or burned it to generate heat and sometimes power. With the advent of major biorefining operations to convert cellulosic biomass into ethanol and other liquid fuels, researchers are now exploring how to transform the associated leftover lignin into more diverse and valuable products. Ragauskas et al. (10.1126/science.1246843) review recent developments in this area, ranging from genetic engineering approaches that tune lignin properties at the source, to chemical processing techniques directed toward extracting lignin in the biorefinery and transforming it into high-performance plastics and a variety of bulk and fine chemicals.
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