Lignin from aldehyde-assisted fractionation can provide light-colored Pickering emulsions through colloidal particles...

Colloidal lignin particles (CLPs) are gaining attention as eco-friendly stabilizers for Pickering emulsions. Still, conventional lignin sources, like kraft lignin, are often limited by their dark color and strong odor. This study explores, for the first time, the use of a light-colored lignin derived from an aldehyde-assisted fractionation with glyoxylic acid (GA-lignin) for producing CLPs and derived Pickering emulsions. CLPs were produced by antisolvent precipitation with water (CLPs-W, pH 6) and alkaline buffer (CLPs-B, pH 8) as the antisolvents. The results revealed that the selected antisolvent significantly influenced the CLPs' properties. CLPs-W were larger, uniform in size, and hydrophobic, whereas CLPs-B were smaller, agglomerated into clusters, and exhibited greater hydrophilicity. Despite both CLPs' effectiveness in stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions, the stabilization mechanisms differed markedly; CLPs-W formed a robust membrane barrier at the oil-water interface, while CLPs-B facilitated oil droplet bridging. Overall, this work demonstrates that GA-lignin's light color nature offers advantages for Pickering emulsions design, surpassing a lignin typical limitation. This advancement highlights the versatility of GA-lignin-derived CLPs and supports the development of sustainable lignin-based products with significant commercial prospects.