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Updated: Jul 31, 2025
Extraction of Lignin with High β-O-4 Content by Mild Ethanol Extraction and Its Effect on the Depolymerization Yield
Published on: January 7, 2019
A universal approach for producing lignin-based monocomponent fiber by one-step ethanol fractionation
Yue Kong1, Jingyu Xu1, Jinghui Zhou1
1Liaoning Key Lab of Lignocellulose Chemistry and BioMaterials, Liaoning Collaborative Innovation Center for Lignocellulosic Biorefinery, College of Light Industry and Chemical Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China.
This study presents a sustainable method for creating lignin-based carbon fibers using ethanol fractionation and electrospinning. Lignin-derived carbon fibers show excellent properties and potential for radioactive iodine capture.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Sustainable Chemistry
- Polymer Science
Background:
- Lignin, a byproduct of biomass processing, offers potential for high-value applications.
- Sustainable production of carbon fibers is crucial for reducing environmental impact.
- Existing methods for lignin utilization often lack efficiency or scalability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a sustainable, one-step method for producing lignin-based monocomponent carbon fibers.
- To investigate the mechanism of fiber formation during the electrospinning of lignin.
- To evaluate the performance of lignin-based carbon fibers for potential applications, including radioactive iodine capture.
Main Methods:
- Hydrothermal extraction of poplar lignin (HPL) followed by ethanol fractionation.
- Coaxial electrospinning of ethanol-soluble lignin (ESL) to form fiber precursors.
- Carbonization of precursors to produce lignin-based carbon fibers.
- Structural and morphological analysis using SEM and other characterization techniques.
Main Results:
- Ethanol-soluble lignin (ESL) consists of small, highly branched 3D stereomolecules.
- Hydrogen bonding plays a key role in promoting fiber formation during electrospinning.
- Carbon fibers derived from HPL exhibited superior properties: minimum diameter (557 nm), smallest interplanar spacing (0.3909 nm), low ID/IG ratio (0.6345), and largest specific surface area (408.15 m²/g).
Conclusions:
- A universal and sustainable method for producing lignin-based monocomponent carbon fibers has been established.
- The developed carbon fibers, particularly those from HPL, demonstrate excellent comprehensive performance.
- These lignin-based carbon fibers show promise for applications such as radioactive iodine capture.
