2019 journal article

Bi-component Carbohydrate and Lignin Nanoparticle Production from Bio-refinery Lignin: A Rapid and Green Method

BIORESOURCES, 14(3), 6179–6185.

By: H. Sadeghifar n, R. Venditti n , J. Pawlak n  & J. Jur n

co-author countries: United States of America πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ
author keywords: Carbohydrate-lignin; Lignin nanoparticle; Bio-refinery lignin; Green processing; Sodium hydroxide; Urea; Bi-component
Source: Web Of Science
Added: July 22, 2019

A rapid and green preparation of lignin nanoparticles was demonstrated starting from bio-refinery lignin containing grafted carbohydrates. The particles were prepared by recovering a fraction of the lignin, which contained 24% carbohydrate (by weight) as the insoluble fraction in 0.5 M NaOH. The carbohydrate content of this fraction was verified with a wet chemistry analytical technique, nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray diffraction. This fraction was then dissolved in a NaOH/urea/water system and added dropwise to water under a high shear, which rapidly formed precipitated particles in a size range of approximately 100 nm. This carbohydrate-containing fraction of the lignin was soluble in a green solvent system that was not suited for lignin alone. The generated particles were stable in different organic solvents and water. Overall, the dissolution of the bio-refinery lignin in the NaOH/urea/water system, followed by precipitation in water can be regarded as a green and rapid method to produce stable nanoparticles. The generated nanoparticles, containing both carbohydrates and lignin, are expected to have unique applications because of their bi-component nature. Furthermore, this is the first publication to show how materials with high levels of lignin can be solubilized in solvents that are conventionally used for cellulose.