Lignin is naturally abundant, is a copious pulp and paper industry waste product, and has the potential to be a vital biorefinery feedstock that could yield valuable, macromolecular and low molecular weight aromatic chemicals when strategically depolymerized.  Non-degraded and chemically modified lignins have been successfully incorporated in a wide-variety of polymers.  Additionally, numerous possibilities of lignin macromolecules and monomer lignin molecules utilizations in polymers have been identified and are explored, including the potential to extract essential polymer building blocks, such as benzene, toluene, phenol, and substituted phenols, for next-generation renewable polymers development.  The utilization of a lignin model compound, guaiacol, as a potential environmentally-friendly reactive diluent is illustrated as an example of a lignin-based, next-generation renewable polymer.

Next-generation renewable polymers from lignin

243rd National Meeting (2012)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.