Microwave-Assisted Lignin Wet Peroxide Oxidation to C Dicarboxylic Acids.

Innovative methodologies, such as microwave-assisted reaction, can help to valorize lignin with higher productivity and better energy efficiency. In this work, microwave heating was tested in the wet peroxide oxidation of three lignins (Indulin AT, Lignol, and lignins) as a novel methodology to obtain C dicarboxylic acids. The effect of temperature, time, and catalyst type (TS-1 or Fe-TS1) was evaluated in the production of these acids.

Hardwood and softwood lignins from sulfite liquors: Structural characterization and valorization through depolymerization.

This work aims to evaluate the structural characteristics and study the oxidative depolymerization of lignins obtained from hardwood and softwood sulfite liquors. Lignins were obtained after ultrafiltration and freeze-drying of the sulfite liquors and characterized based on inorganic content, nitrobenzene oxidation, C NMR, and molecular weight determination. The structural characteristics achieved allow evaluating the potential of each lignin through oxidative depolymerization to produce added-value phenolic monomers.

Added-Value Chemicals from Lignin Oxidation.

Lignin is the second most abundant component, next to cellulose, in lignocellulosic biomass. Large amounts of this polymer are produced annually in the pulp and paper industries as a coproduct from the cooking process-most of it burned as fuel for energy. Strategies regarding lignin valorization have attracted significant attention over the recent decades due to lignin's aromatic structure.