Issue 24, 2023

Mechanically recyclable melt-spun fibers from lignin esters and iron oxide nanoparticles: towards circular lignin materials

Abstract

The inferior thermoplastic properties have limited production of melt-spun fibers from lignin. Here we report on the controlled esterification of softwood kraft lignin (SKL) to enable scalable, solvent-free melt spinning of microfibers using a cotton candy machine. We found that it is crucial to control the esterification process as melt-spun fibers could be produced from lignin oleate and lignin stearate precursors with degrees of esterification (DE) ranging from 20–50%, but not outside this range. To fabricate a functional hybrid material, we incorporated magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) into the lignin oleate fibers by melt blending and subsequent melt spinning. Thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray diffraction studies revealed that increasing the weight fraction of MNPs led to improved thermal stability of the fibers. Finally, we demonstrated adsorption of organic dyes, magnetic recovery, and recycling via melt spinning of the regular and magnetic fibers with 95% and 83% retention of the respective adsorption capacities over three adsorption cycles. The mechanical recyclability of the microfibers represents a new paradigm in lignin-based circular materials.

Graphical abstract: Mechanically recyclable melt-spun fibers from lignin esters and iron oxide nanoparticles: towards circular lignin materials

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Jul 2023
Accepted
12 Sep 2023
First published
14 Sep 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Green Chem., 2023,25, 10424-10435

Mechanically recyclable melt-spun fibers from lignin esters and iron oxide nanoparticles: towards circular lignin materials

U. Thalakkale Veettil, A. Moreno, A. J. Huertas-Alonso, M. Morsali, I. V. Pylypchuk, L. Liu and M. H. Sipponen, Green Chem., 2023, 25, 10424 DOI: 10.1039/D3GC02381H

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