Vitrimers from non-functionalized lignin oil and epoxidized soybean oil

Ella F. Clark; Tripti Chhabra; Qianxiang Zhou; Niklas Lorenz; Jonathan Woods; Peter Van Puyvelde; Baris Kumru; Bert F. Sels

doi:10.1039/D5SU00828J

Vitrimers from non-functionalized lignin oil and epoxidized soybean oil

Ella F. Clark,

†^a Tripti Chhabra,

†^a Qianxiang Zhou,^a Niklas Lorenz,

^b Jonathan Woods,^a Peter Van Puyvelde,^c Baris Kumru

^b and Bert F. Sels

*^a

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Center For Sustainable Catalysis and Engineering, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
E-mail: bert.sels@kuleuven.be

^b Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, Aerospace Structures & Materials Department, Delft University of Technology, 2629 HS Delft, Netherlands

^c Department of Chemical Engineering, Soft Matter, Rheology and Technology (SMaRT), KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001 Leuven, Belgium

Abstract

This study reports the development of fully bio-based epoxy resins containing dynamic ester bonds capable of transesterification at 100 °C. The inherent functionality of lignin oil, derived from the reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) biorefinery process, enables effective curing with epoxidized soybean oil, eliminating the need for additional treatments. The resulting epoxy resins show similar thermochemical behavior for both pristine and reprocessed epoxy resins. This work highlights a sustainable and efficient route for producing reprocessable vitrimers using non-functionalized lignin oil.

This article is part of the themed collection: Make polymers sustainable, why and how?

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU00828J
Article type: Communication
Submitted: 28 Oct 2025
Accepted: 31 Oct 2025
First published: 31 Oct 2025
This article is Open Access

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RSC Sustainability, 2025, Advance Article

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Vitrimers from non-functionalized lignin oil and epoxidized soybean oil

E. F. Clark, T. Chhabra, Q. Zhou, N. Lorenz, J. Woods, P. Van Puyvelde, B. Kumru and B. F. Sels, RSC Sustainability, 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5SU00828J

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

RSC Sustainability

Vitrimers from non-functionalized lignin oil and epoxidized soybean oil

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Vitrimers from non-functionalized lignin oil and epoxidized soybean oil

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