Paving the Way for Lignin Valorisation: Recent Advances in Bioengineering, Biorefining and Catalysis

Lignin is an abundant biopolymer with a high carbon content and high aromaticity. Despite its potential as a raw material for the fuel and chemical industries, lignin remains the most poorly utilised of the lignocellulosic biopolymers. Effective valorisation of lignin requires careful fine‐tuning of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Angewandte Chemie (International ed.) Vol. 55; no. 29; pp. 8164 - 8215
Main Authors: Rinaldi, Roberto, Jastrzebski, Robin, Clough, Matthew T., Ralph, John, Kennema, Marco, Bruijnincx, Pieter C. A., Weckhuysen, Bert M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Germany Blackwell Publishing Ltd 11.07.2016
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Wiley
John Wiley and Sons Inc
Edition:International ed. in English
Subjects:
Aromaticity
BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Biocatalysis
Bioengineering
Biofuels
Biopolymers
biorefining
Biosynthesis
Carbon content
Catalysis
Catalysts
Catalytic converters
Chemical bonds
Chemical industry
Lignin
Lignin - biosynthesis
Lignin - chemistry
Lignin - isolation & purification
Lignocellulose
Paving
Refining
Review
Reviews
Upgrading
catalysis
lignin
biorefining
bioengineering
lignocellulose
ISSN:1433-7851, 1521-3773, 1521-3773
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Lignin is an abundant biopolymer with a high carbon content and high aromaticity. Despite its potential as a raw material for the fuel and chemical industries, lignin remains the most poorly utilised of the lignocellulosic biopolymers. Effective valorisation of lignin requires careful fine‐tuning of multiple “upstream” (i.e., lignin bioengineering, lignin isolation and “early‐stage catalytic conversion of lignin”) and “downstream” (i.e., lignin depolymerisation and upgrading) process stages, demanding input and understanding from a broad array of scientific disciplines. This review provides a “beginning‐to‐end” analysis of the recent advances reported in lignin valorisation. Particular emphasis is placed on the improved understanding of lignin's biosynthesis and structure, differences in structure and chemical bonding between native and technical lignins, emerging catalytic valorisation strategies, and the relationships between lignin structure and catalyst performance. Seeing the wood for the trees: Lignin is an abundant biopolymer with a high carbon content and high aromaticity. A critical analysis of “upstream” and “downstream” elements of lignin valorisation is given, including bioengineering, biorefining, and catalysis.
Bibliography:Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science
Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs
NWO
DOE Office of Science - No. BER DE-FC02-07ER64494
ArticleID:ANIE201510351
istex:FC37569C4FFA60FB908FA8032987899D3A481E02
ark:/67375/WNG-B6G3XFZN-7
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
European Research Council
ERC - No. 321140
Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research
DOE
European Commission - No. 607044
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 14
ObjectType-Review-3
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USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER) (SC-23)
FC02-07ER64494
ISSN:1433-7851
1521-3773
1521-3773
DOI:10.1002/anie.201510351