Lignin is the second most abundant natural polymer after cellulose, which makes up one-third of the dry mass of wood and other natural plants. Around 100 million tons of lignin is discharged as a byproduct from wood pulping and bioethanol industries, which is mainly burned onsite and has not been used for value-added products because of its heterogeneous and complicated structure. Owing to its surface containing many functional groups (i.e., hydroxyls, phenolics), lignin can be used as precursors for the preparation of various polymers such as polyurethanes and epoxy resins with and without modification. Meanwhile, utilizing lignin for high-value polymer applications is important because lignin as polymer precursors, e.g., polyols (~$2000/ton) are more than ten times higher than it is used for energy ($70-150/ton). Here, we report our recent progress in utilizing lignin for the synthesis of polyurethane and epoxy products (e.g., rigid polyurethane foams, polyurethane coatings, and epoxy coatings) through a series of structure homogenization processes.

Sustainable thermoset bioplastics from lignin

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