Lignin Utilization Strategies From Processing to Applications

Emerging applications of lignin

Lignin has great potential as a sustainable, renewable resource for aromatic molecules that can be used in downstream applications. However, its natural heterogeneity and complexity are substantial barriers to its efficient utilization. Industrial lignin, a byproduct from the pulping and biorefinery
industries, is usually burned or directly discharged as waste. This work provides a comprehensive exploration of recent lignin utilization strategies with chapters written by experts from agricultural science and engineering, biotechnology, biology, catalysis, chemical engineering, chemistry, wood
science, and other related fields.

Chang Geun Yoo (Ph.D., Iowa State University) is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He has investigated biomass utilization and characterization strategies over 10 years with 86
peer-reviewed journal articles and 5 book chapters on biomass topics such as characterization, pretreatment, fractionation, thermochemical and biological conversion, and biorefining. He organized or co-organized multiple sessions at national ACS and AIChE meetings. He is currently serving as an
associate editor in Frontiers in Chemical Engineering and as an editorial board member in Applied Sciences. He also served as a topic (guest) editor in Frontiers in Energy Research and Energies. His achievements in research and education in the fields were recognized with Robin Hood Oak Award
(2020), SOLAR Award (2020), ORNL UT-Battelle Award (2017), ORNL Supplementary Performance Award (2016), and Research Excellence Award (2012).

Arthur Ragauskas (Ph.D., University of Western Ontario) held the first Fulbright Chair in Alternative Energy and is a Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science, the International Academy of Wood Science and TAPPI. In 2014, he assumed a Governor's Chair for Biorefining based in
University of Tennessee's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, with a complimentary appointment in the UT Institute of Agriculture's Department of Forestry, Wildlife, and Fisheries and serves in the Energy and Environmental Sciences Directorate, Biosciences Division, at ORNL. His
research program is directed at understanding and exploiting innovative sustainable bioresources for the circular economy. This multifaceted program is targeted to develop new and improved applications for nature's premiere renewable biopolymers for biofuels, biopower, and bio-based materials and
chemicals. His research program has been sponsored by NSF, USDA, DOE, GA Traditional Industry Program, a consortium of industry partners, and several fellowship programs which is summarized in 488 publications. His Fulbright sponsored activities at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, were
focused on the forest biorefinery and new biofuel conversion technologies for lignocellulosics. Currently, Dr. Ragauskas manages a research group of graduate students, postdoctoral research fellows, a research scientist, and visiting scientists. He is the recipient of the 2014 TAPPI Gunnar Nicholson
Gold Medal Award, the 2014 ACS Affordable Green Chemistry Award, 2017 AIChE Green Processing Award, 2017 Academia Distinguished Service Award, 2019 AIChEChase Award, and his students and postdocs have won several awards, including the ACS graduate research award, ORNL UT-Battelle Award, and the ORNL
Supplementary Performance Award.

Chapter 1: Opportunities and Challenges of Lignin Utilization, Chang Geun Yoo and Arthur J. Ragauskas
Chapter 2: Tailoring Lignin Structure to Maximize the Value from Lignin, Jae Hoon Lee, Joon Weon Choi, and Kwang Ho Kim
Chapter 3: Reductive Catalytic Fractionation: From Waste Wood to Functional Phenolic Oligomers for Attractive, Value-Added Applications, Gil Van den Bossche, Thijs Vangeel, Korneel Van Aelst,Wouter Arts, Laura Trullemans, Kranti Navare, Sander Van den Bosch, Karel Van Acker, and Bert F. Sels
Chapter 4: Proteomic Approaches for Advancing the Understanding and Application of Oleaginous Bacteria for Bioconversion of Lignin to Lipids, Xiaolu Li, Zhangyang Xu, Austin Gluth, Wei-Jun Qian, and Bin Yang
Chapter 5: Electrocatalytic and Photocatalytic Approaches to Lignin Conversion, Shuya Li, Kayla Davis, and Gyu Leem
Chapter 6: Recent Advances in Lignin-Based Carbon Materials Preparation and Their Application in Catalysis, Huan Wang and Dong-Jie Yang
Chapter 7: Recent Advances in Lignin Modification and Its Application in Wastewater Treatment, Bin Wang, Dan Sun, Tong-Qi Yuan, Guoyong Song, and Run-Cang Sun
Chapter 8: Recent Strategies for Lignin-Based Thermosets, Martin Lawoko and Claudio Gioia
Chapter 9: Recent Advances in Lignin-Based Hydrogels and Its Synthesis and Applications, Da-feng Zheng, Ling Hu, and Xue-qing Qiu
Chapter 10: Prospects and Challenges of Using Lignin for Thermoplastic Materials, Aditi Nagardeolekar, Mathew Ovadias, Prajakta Dongre, and Biljana Bujanovic
Chapter 11: Recent Advances in Synthesis and Application of Lignin Nanoparticles, Xianzhi Meng, Mandeep Poonia, Chang Geun Yoo, and Arthur J. Ragauskas

Editors' Biographies
Author Index
Subject Index