Sustainable Diversifying Functionalisation of Technical Lignins

The efficient use of all available biomass components is of utmost interest with respect to a sustainable use of renewable resources. Lignin as the second most-abundant component in forest biomass is, however, currently not exploited to its fullest potential. The controlled functionalisation of commercially available lignins is still to be improved in order to obtain a wider variety of possibilities that can give rise to the application of lignin in high value applications. Highly functionalised, monomeric or oligomeric products that can serve as starting materials for further valorisation in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are desired. We will present the formation of a wide variety of functional lignins obtained via simple chemical protocols, via biotechnological approaches and via physico-chemical means. Applying the developed strategies, the formations of stimuli-responsive lignin derivatives and block-copolymers based on lignins become feasible. Blends of chitin and lignin, as candidate materials for wound dressings, are realised in form of lignin-based fiber mats produced by electrospinning of aqueous dispersions of lignin, PVA, and chitin nanofibers.