Lignin applications

Applications of Kraft Lignins. Because of the high fuel value of black Hquor, kraft lignin products are generaUy used in high value... 

Applications. These materials are stiU in developmental infancy. Current production is limited to one commercial process in Europe and a demonstration-scale process in North America. The lignins produced in these processes have potential appHcation in wood adhesives, as flame retardants (qv), as slow-release agents for agricultural and pharmaceutical products, as surfactants (qv), as antioxidants (qv), as asphalt extenders, and as a raw material source for lignin-derived chemicals. 

Experimental procedures have been described in which the desired reactions have been carried out either by whole microbial cells or by enzymes (1—3). These involve carbohydrates (qv) (4,5) steroids (qv), sterols, and bile acids (6—11) nonsteroid cycHc compounds (12) ahcycHc and alkane hydroxylations (13—16) alkaloids (7,17,18) various pharmaceuticals (qv) (19—21), including antibiotics (19—24) and miscellaneous natural products (25—27). Reviews of the microbial oxidation of aUphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons (qv) (28), monoterpenes (29,30), pesticides (qv) (31,32), lignin (qv) (33,34), flavors and fragrances (35), and other organic molecules (8,12,36,37) have been pubflshed (see Enzyp applications, industrial Enzyt s in organic synthesis Elavors AND spices). 

Natural product-derived dispersants, such as tannins, lignins, and alginates, are still widely used as drilling mud thinners or in specialty applications where their low toxicity is a cmcial property, eg, in boilers producing steam for food applications. 

Supercritical fluid solvents have been tested for reactive extractions of liquid and gaseous fuels from heavy oils, coal, oil shale, and biomass. In some cases the solvent participates in the reactions, as in the hydrolysis of coal and heavy oils with water. Related applications include conversion of cellulose to glucose in water, dehgnincation of wood with ammonia, and liquefaction of lignin in water. 

By far the preponderance of the 3400 kt of current worldwide phenolic resin production is in the form of phenol-formaldehyde (PF) reaction products. Phenol and formaldehyde are currently two of the most available monomers on earth. About 6000 kt of phenol and 10,000 kt of formaldehyde (100% basis) were produced in 1998 [55,56]. The organic raw materials for synthesis of phenol and formaldehyde are cumene (derived from benzene and propylene) and methanol, respectively. These materials are, in turn, obtained from petroleum and natural gas at relatively low cost ([57], pp. 10-26 [58], pp. 1-30). Cost is one of the most important advantages of phenolics in most applications. It is critical to the acceptance of phenolics for wood panel manufacture. With the exception of urea-formaldehyde resins, PF resins are the lowest cost thermosetting resins available. In addition to its synthesis from low cost monomers, phenolic resin costs are often further reduced by extension with fillers such as clays, chalk, rags, wood flours, nutshell flours, grain flours, starches, lignins, tannins, and various other low eost materials. Often these fillers and extenders improve the performance of the phenolic for a particular use while reducing cost. 

The application of lignin as an adhesive is possible in principle. The first attempt needed very long press times due to the low reactivity (Pedersen process) [161]. This process was based on lignin polycondensation under strong acidic conditions, which led to considerable corrosion problems in the plant [161]. The particles had been sprayed with spent sulfite liquor (pH = 3-4) and pressed at 180°C. After this step, the boards were tempered in an autoclave under pressure at 170-200°C, whereby the sulfite liquor became insoluble after splitting off water and SO2. 

Thus, based on material applications, the following polymers are important natural rubber, coal, asphaltenes (bitumens), cellulose, chitin, starch, lignin, humus, shellac, amber, and certain proteins. Figure 4 shows the primary structures of some of the above polymers. For detailed information on their occurrence, conventional utilization, etc., refer to the references cited previously. 

Finally, hydrogenation of aromatic rings in synthetic or natural polymers such as polystyrene or lignin, respectively, is also investigated for various applications. The polystyrene hydrogenation process developed by Dow Plastics for media applications is an interesting example [7,8]. 

GRAFT COPOLYMERS. Goggarty was one of the first applications specialists to propose, in 1978, that graft copolymers by used for resource recovery(34) A number of such graft copolymers have now been made and tested and the knowledge gained about products based on lignin and starch will be summarized below. 

A Cationic Graft Copolymer of Lignin. The applications of the anionic graft copolymers described above are many but the negative charge on the polymer or the behavior of the anionic polymer under application conditions often limit the utility of these materials. 

The electrophoretic analyses of our various lignin samples has thus yielded results, which could not be obtained as yet by any other method. As in the case of proteins, electrophoresis supplies us with valuable information on the purity and homogeneity of the lignin preparations. The main limitation to a wider application of this method to lignin lies in the comparatively close mobility of all the samples thus far investigated (100). 

Kraft chemical pulp process, 13 94 Kraft lignins, 15 19-20 applications of, 15 19-20 Kraft paper process... 

Other food/agricultural applications are in the beverage and fabrics/ wool industries. Wood fibers are easily analyzed for lignin, wool and cotton for ability to accept dyes, and beverages, both soft and hard, may be analyzed for contents. 

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