terial, a recent RSC Advances³ paper outlines a range of innovative options for lignin use in advanced lithium battery systems. Lignin is already widely used as carbon precursor, making it a key feedstock for EV battery boxes. But beyond that, the paper’s authors describe the use of hydrolysed lignin as a cathode as well as Kraft lignin as a binder and a cathode.
The potential commercial opportunities of converting low-cost lignin feedstocks into high-value bio-sustainable chemicals will be revealed when a European Union-funded project Liberate closes in December 2022. Major players Evonik, Perstorp and Oxiris, plus several chemical industry SMEs, research institutions and universities are collaborating on a pilot-scale electrochemical plant. The consortium will explore feedstocks for drop-in replacements while modelling and physically integrating renewable energy sources to deliver processes that synthesise chemicals with a zero CO2 footprint.
Advances in the analytical methods for lignin characterisation have fueled interest in its potential. Molar mass distribution in lignin molecules is key to reactivity and physicochemical properties. Capacity to understand how those parameters determine structure and property relationships is fuelling a passion for lignin development.
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