Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
Lignin, a wood polymer that is a common paper industry waste product, can be converted into chemical building blocks usable in paint, insulation foam, and other products through a new, eco-friendly process discovered by researchers at the University in Leuven in Belgium.
In a study published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, Professor Bert Sels at the university’s Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis and his colleagues explained how they were able to use their new techniques to create lignin that does not have to be burned (as usually happens in the paper industry) and can instead be processed and reused.
Lignin is a substance found in the cell walls of plants and strengthens their structures. When wood is processed into paper pulp, lignin is removed using heavy chemistry and becomes a waste product due to side effects of this technique. Ultimately, it winds up being burned, even though it is a low-grade fuel.
A new focus for bio-refining techniques
However, the authors said that they have come up with an alternative way of converting wood into usable paper pulp while also creating high-grade lignin that is still usable. In their process, the wood is placed into a small chemical reactor, Professor Sels said in a statement.
Then, both a catalyst and a solvent are added, and at the right temperature and pressure, the lignin can be separated from the pulp and disassembled into smaller components. By doing so, they are able to produce lignin oil that can be converted into chemical building blocks more easily to be used in plastic, medicines, colorings, ink, paint, and more.
The discovery comes on the heels of recent research from the Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, in which scientists developed a new method to convert the cellulose found in wood into chains of hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons could then be used as a gasoline additive or as a component in plastics, the university explained.
“Bio-refining techniques typically only target polysaccharides such as cellulose,” Professor Sels said. “Our study about turning sawdust into gasoline is a case in point. This new study, however, rethinks the concept of bio-refining: for the first time we focus on lignin – and not cellulose – as the starting point to make chemical building blocks from wood.”
“Ours is a sustainable method to turn lignin – once a waste product – into useful chemicals for industrial purposes while keeping the paper pulp available for further processing,” he added. “This brings added value to the paper industry, which is a great bonus in the current economic context.”
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