Lignin Molar Mass Estimation by Dispersion Analysis

Lignin's complex and heterogeneous molecular structure poses significant challenges for accurate molar mass determination, which is important for its utilization in industrial applications, such as biochemicals, nanoparticles, biobased binders, and biofuels. This study evaluates the potential of Taylor Dispersion Analysis (TDA) for measuring lignin size and compares it with size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and diffusion-ordered spectroscopy (DOSY) NMR. Using dual Gaussian fitting, flow-induced dispersion analysis (FIDA), a TDA-based method, successfully determined the average hydrodynamic radii of multiple species in solvent-fractionated soda grass lignin samples, producing results consistent with DOSY. Molar mass calibration enabled comparisons between FIDA and SEC, revealing similar relative differences across lignin fractions. FIDA offers advantages such as rapid analysis and absence of stationary phase interactions, however its accuracy is limited by the variability of lignin fluorescence. Addressing these limitations will be critical for advancing FIDA as a method for lignin size estimation.