Issue 13, 2023

Strategies for lignin depolymerization and reconstruction towards functional polymers

Abstract

The depletion of petroleum resources and the growth of environmental problems have led to the need for alternative polymer materials with renewability and degradability. Lignin is a promising natural carbon source for the construction of polymer materials to replace petroleum resources, with the advantages of renewability, large reserves, wide distribution, bio-degradability, aromatic moieties, and low cost. Biorefining or the depolymerization of lignin is considered essential for lignin valorization and solving the intrinsic issues of lignin in functional polymer preparation. The aromatic monomers obtained from lignin depolymerization and the functional polymers constructed from the monomers are the current research focus for lignin utilization. In this review, we discuss the common depolymerization strategies (i.e. chemical and biological depolymerization), classify aromatic monomers obtained from depolymerization (i.e. vanillin, syringaldehyde, eugenol, ferulic acid, and sinapic acid derived monomers and p-coumaryl, coniferyl, and syringyl alcohols derived monomers), and systematically present various functional polymers constructed from these monomers.

Graphical abstract: Strategies for lignin depolymerization and reconstruction towards functional polymers

  • This article is part of the themed collection: Biorefining

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
10 2 2023
Accepted
24 5 2023
First published
07 6 2023

Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2023,7, 2953-2973

Strategies for lignin depolymerization and reconstruction towards functional polymers

L. Jiang, C. Wang, P. L. Chee, C. Qu, A. Z. Fok, F. H. Yong, Z. L. Ong and D. Kai, Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2023, 7, 2953 DOI: 10.1039/D3SE00173C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements