Vanillin, production from lignin hydrolysis

Vanillin is obtained from sulfite waste liquor by further alkaline hydrolysis of lignin. It is the same substance that can be obtained from vanilla bean extract and is the common flavoring in foods and drinks. Natural and synthetic vanillin can be distinguished from each other by a slight difference in the amount of 13C in their structure, since one is biosynthetic in the bean and the other is isolated from a second natural product, wood, by hydrolysis of the lignin. 

Another product that is produced commercially from the alkaline hydrolysis of lignin is vanillin. It was found that the yield could be improved by the presence of oxygen during the alkaline hydrolysis reaction. A number of commercial ventures have been based on this procedure (8,9). 

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