Composites that incorporate petroleum-derived thermosetting resins are utilized in a wide-variety of applications.  With the uncertainty of petroleum reserves and future crude oil prices, lignocellulosic biomass is becoming an increasingly valuable feedstock for the sustainable production of fuels and chemicals, including composites.  Lignin, which is currently a copious waste product of the paper and pulping industry that is primarily burned as a low value fuel, has the potential to be a vital lignocellulosic biorefinery feedstock that could yield highly valuable macromolecular and low molecular weight aromatic chemicals when strategically depolymerized.  The incorporation of aromaticity in a resin's chemical structure is known to improve overall performance and the high aromatic content found in lignin would be ideal for novel resin development.  We present thermosetting resins that utilize lignin model compounds, such as vanillin, phenols, guaiacols, and catechols, and that utilize a lignin-based bio-oil mimic in the development of more sustainable composites.

Lignin-derived resins for high-performance composite applications

245th National Meeting (2013)

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