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Fermentation
Special Issues
Lignin Valorization: Recent Trends and Future Perspective
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Lignin Valorization: Recent Trends and Future Perspective

A special issue of Fermentation (ISSN 2311-5637). This special issue belongs to the section "Industrial Fermentation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 4153

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Han-Min Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
Interests: biorefinery; biomass conversion; lignin isolation; structural characteristics; chemical modification; bio-based materials; biodegradable composite
Dr. Zhiwen Wang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Innovation and Sustainability Research, Institute of Systems Sciences, University of Graz, Merangasse 18/I, 8010 Graz, Austria
Interests: lignocellulosic biomass biorefinery with a special focus on lignin fractionation; selective depolymerization; degradation and lignin-based chemical and material derivatization
Dr. Fengfeng Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan 250353, China
Interests: lignocellulosic biomass; pretreatment; biodegradable material; bio-based nanomaterials; supercapacitor; lignin-derived carbon materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

 A circular society requires a sustainable energy and chemical supply, as well as supplementary alternative energy resources, such as solar energy, wind power, hydropower, geothermal energy, etc. Sustainable chemical and material production still presents serious challenges necessitating a prerequisite of a stable and abundant renewable carbon source. Lignocellulosic biomass is a promising “candidate” for this role, having gained increasing attention in circular component production due to its high availability. However, the efficient extraction of high-value components from biomass, in particular from lignin with valuable functional aromatic features, presents a current bottleneck in biomass utilization.

Researchers have explored lignin extensively in recent years, developing two main strategies for the utilization of lignin. One involves a traditional sugar-oriented approach, in which lignin always serves as a byproduct, which has neither gained much attention nor value, such as in purpling processes. The other one is “lignin-first” biomass processing, in which lignin is catalytically converted into a more native-like state with labile linking motifs to valuable aromatic products. Typical examples of this processing strategy include reductive catalytic fractionation and acid-based lignin hydrolysis. Authentic results demonstrate the massive potential of these processes for lignin valorization. However, new findings and strategies still highly necessitate the study of lignocellulosic biomass, especially regarding lignin valorization. For instance, biological processing includes lignin depolymerization via microorganisms or enzymes as well as gene perturbation orienting to allow the lignin biosynthetic pathway to ‘create’ new lignin with a labile structure. Additionally, lignin as an aromatic polymer possesses great biodegradability and biocompatibility and exhibits enormous potential for the preparation of various functional and sustainable materials as alternatives to plastics, thus presenting a viable pathway for eco-friendly materials production and the tailored valorization of lignin in biorefinery.

This Special Issue aims to present fundamental and practical studies on lignocellulosic biomass with a special focus on lignin to provide general and innovative results oriented towards solving current challenges in lignin utilization. We welcome all original research papers, methods, mini reviews and reviews papers to this Special Issue.

Dr. Han-Min Wang
Dr. Zhiwen Wang
Dr. Fengfeng Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fermentation is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • lignin
  • biorefinery
  • lignin valorization
  • green fractionation
  • macromolecular structure
  • chemical modification
  • lignocellulosic biomass conversion
  • bio-based functional materials
  • sustainable composites
  • lignin-derived products

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3426 KiB  
Article
Green Fractionation and Structural Characterization of Lignin Nanoparticles via Carboxylic-Acid-Based Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) Pretreatment
by Meng-Kai Qin, Cheng Zuo, Yi-Ting Yang, Yi-Hui Liu, Cheng-Ye Ma and Jia-Long Wen
Fermentation 2023, 9(5), 491; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9050491 - 20 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1378
Abstract
Green fractionation and a comprehensive overview of lignin molecular structures during the DES (deep eutectic solvent) pretreatment are very important for lignin valorization and the whole biorefinery process. Herein, intractable woody biomass (poplar wood) was pretreated with five types of carboxylic-acid-based DESs (acetamide [...] Read more.
Green fractionation and a comprehensive overview of lignin molecular structures during the DES (deep eutectic solvent) pretreatment are very important for lignin valorization and the whole biorefinery process. Herein, intractable woody biomass (poplar wood) was pretreated with five types of carboxylic-acid-based DESs (acetamide served as an HBA (hydrogen bond acceptor), propanedioic acid, tartaric acid, malic acid, glutaric acid, and succinic acid served as HBDs (hydrogen bond donors)) under the optimized pretreatment conditions. Results showed that the optimal delignification ratio was achieved for tartaric-acid-based DES at 140 °C for 20 min under microwave-assisted heating. Two-dimensional HSQC NMR data demonstrated that the isolated poplar DES lignin consisted mainly of β-β, β-O-4 (normal and acylated forms), β-5, and esterified p-hydroxybenzoates (PBs) in different contents. Especially, the contents of β-O-4 in the isolated DES lignin fractions varied based on the pretreatment temperature and different chemical compositions of the DES. The antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, DPPH analysis), microstructure (scanning electron microscope, SEM), and molecular weights (gel permeation chromatography, GPC) of the DES lignin fractions demonstrated that the DES delignification promoted the rapid assembly of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) and could yield homogeneous lignin (1.23 < PDI < 1.58) with controlled nanometer size (30–170 nm) and good antioxidant activity. This study will improve the knowledge of structural changes of lignin during the different carboxylic-acid-based DES pretreatments and maximize the lignin valorization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lignin Valorization: Recent Trends and Future Perspective)
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Review

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21 pages, 2370 KiB  
Review
A Review on Catalytic Depolymerization of Lignin towards High-Value Chemicals: Solvent and Catalyst
by Yannan Wang, Lianghuan Wei, Qidong Hou, Zhixin Mo, Xujun Liu and Weizun Li
Fermentation 2023, 9(4), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9040386 - 17 Apr 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2288
Abstract
Lignin is a type of natural aromatic material with potential application prospects obtained from lignocellulosic biomass. Recently, the valorization of lignin has received increasing attention from both industry and academia. However, there is still a challenge in the efficient valorization of lignin due [...] Read more.
Lignin is a type of natural aromatic material with potential application prospects obtained from lignocellulosic biomass. Recently, the valorization of lignin has received increasing attention from both industry and academia. However, there is still a challenge in the efficient valorization of lignin due to the complexity and stability of the lignin structure. Recent work has been focused on the catalytic depolymerization of lignin to explore a promising and efficient way to valorize lignin into chemicals with high value and biofuels. Considerable research has focused on catalysts, solvents, and reaction parameters during the lignin depolymerization process, which significantly affects product distribution and productivity. Thus, in a catalytic depolymerization process, both catalysts and solvents have a significant influence on the depolymerization effect. This review article assesses the current status of the catalytic hydrogenolysis of lignin, mainly focusing on the solvents and catalysts during the reaction. First, various solvents applied in the lignin depolymerization reactions are extensively overviewed. Second, the recent progress of metal catalysts as well as their supports is summarized. Furthermore, a discussion of the challenges and prospects in this area is included. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Lignin Valorization: Recent Trends and Future Perspective)
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