Interfacial catalysis and lignin nanoparticles for strong fire- and water-resistant composite adhesives

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Abstract

Lignin was epoxidized using interfacial catalysis, which improved the reaction speed and solubility immensely. Epoxidized lignin was cured with lignin particles into thermosets that could be used as a strong adhesive or fire-resistant coating.

Abstract

Wood is increasingly replacing concrete to reduce CO ₂ emissions in buildings, but fossil-based adhesives are still being used in wood panels. Epoxidized lignin adhesives could be a potential replacement, but their preparation has so far required low-molecular weight lignin and long reaction times. Here we show a new efficient method to produce epoxidized kraft lignin (EKL) from regular kraft lignin by using interfacial catalysis. We demonstrate that EKL combined with biocolloids in the form of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) produces a strong adhesive comparable to commercially available ones when cross-linked at 130–160 °C for only 3–5 minutes. The adhesive was free of phenol or formaldehyde, had a lignin content of over 80% and still showed impressive wet strength and incredible thermal stability. The process was shown to be scalable and environmentally more sustainable than resins from fossil-based feedstock or currently available ones from renewable resources.

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The global tree restoration potential

Jean-Francois Bastin, Yelena Finegold, Claude García … (2019)

The restoration of trees remains among the most effective strategies for climate change mitigation. We mapped the global potential tree coverage to show that 4.4 billion hectares of canopy cover could exist under the current climate. Excluding existing trees and agricultural and urban areas, we found that there is room for an extra 0.9 billion hectares of canopy cover, which could store 205 gigatonnes of carbon in areas that would naturally support woodlands and forests. This highlights global tree restoration as our most effective climate change solution to date. However, climate change will alter this potential tree coverage. We estimate that if we cannot deviate from the current trajectory, the global potential canopy cover may shrink by ~223 million hectares by 2050, with the vast majority of losses occurring in the tropics. Our results highlight the opportunity of climate change mitigation through global tree restoration but also the urgent need for action.

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CHEM21 selection guide of classical- and less classical-solvents

Peter J. Dunn, Andy Wells, John Hayler … (2016)

A methodology, based on a combination of SH&E criteria, enables a simplified greenness evaluation of any solvent, in the context of fine or pharmaceutical chemistry.

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Towards lignin-based functional materials in a sustainable world

Xian Loh, Yong Liang Yap, Yun Khim Chua … (2016)

The recent developments of lignin were reviewed in terms of different approaches to synthesize lignin-based copolymers, the resulting features and the potential applications of such copolymers. In light of the incessant consumption of raw materials in the world today, the search for sustainable resources is ever pressing. Lignin, the second most naturally abundant biomass, which makes up 15% to 35% of the cell walls of terrestrial plants, has always been treated as waste and used in low-value applications such as heat and electricity generation. However, its abundance in nature could potentially solve the problem of the rapidly depleting resources if it was successfully translated into a renewable resource or valorized to higher value materials. Advanced lignin modification chemistry has generated a number of functional lignin-based polymers, which integrate both the intrinsic features of lignin and additional properties of the grafted polymers. These modified lignin and its copolymers display better miscibility with other polymeric matrices, leading to improved performance for these lignin/polymer composites. This review summarizes the progress in using such biopolymers as reinforcement fillers, antioxidants, UV adsorbents, antimicrobial agents, carbon precursors and biomaterials for tissue engineering and gene therapy. Recent developments in lignin-based smart materials are discussed as well.