Topic: From lignin to bio-aromatics: Challenges and Prospects
Speaker: Sandra Corderí Gándara, Researcher Biobased Building Blocks and Products – MNEXT
Moderator: Guilherme de Souza Reis, Researcher Biobased Resources and Energy – MNEXT
Description:
As much as 40% of all chemicals are aromatic in nature; this amounts to 122 million tons annually, worth €120 billion with an annual growth rate of 5%. So far, these aromatics are made from fossil raw materials and this has a negative impact on our environment. Manufacturers of products such as plastics, paints, adhesives, insulation foam and textiles use aromatics to impart their products with high-quality properties, such as scratch resistance, UV resistance, adhesive strength or gloss.
Lignin, a primary component of the cell walls in lignocellulosic biomass, is the most abundant aromatic biopolymer on Earth. In the past years, many innovative applications have been proposed, opening the door for the utilization of lignin as an important raw material for various applications. However, many challenges are still affecting industrial lignin valorisation.
In this talk Sandra Corderí Gándara, Researcher Biobased Building Blocks and Products at MNEXT, shared her knowledge of bio-aromatics with you. She described the unique properties of lignin, production processes, current applications and market. In doing so, she mentioned a few examples of projects such as Bio-cappp and JTF B4, along with the collaboration with Biorizon. She discussed important bottlenecks that still hinder the large-scale adoption of bio-aromatics, leading to a discussion session where we can exchange opinions.
Presentation:
Presentation Sandra Corderí Gándara
Link to recording of the session:
