In China, researchers from the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed a “top-down” synthetic microbiome strategy to enrich microbial consortia capable of efficient lignin degradation from straw compost and straw-returning soils, providing new insight into how microbial communities work together to break down lignin. Their findings are published in […]
In Australia, hardwood lignin has two key chemical components that require processing to make useful compounds. University of Adelaide researchers had previously discovered an enzyme that could be used to break down one of these compounds, which is also found in softwood, but no biological breakdown process had been identified that could use the second […]
In Washington state, environmentally-friendly preparation of plant material from pine could serve as a substitute for petroleum-based chemicals in polyurethane foams. The innovation could lead to more environmentally friendly versions of foams used ubiquitously in products such as kitchen sponges, foam cushions, coatings, adhesives, packaging and insulation. The global market for polyurethane totaled more than […]
In Sweden, Lignin Industries has signed a partnership agreement with the UK’s leading independent compounder and distributor of polymers, Whitstable-based Hellyar to bring its innovative bio-based plastic to new markets, as well as scale the commercialization of Lignin Industries’ patented technology. Lignin Industries has developed a means of ending the plastic industry’s reliance on fossil […]
In Pennsylvania, US firm NewEnergyBlue and Finnish company MetGen began integrating their renewable technologies and business units to compete with fossil-carbon products. “NewEnergyBlue’s biomass conversion technologies, augmented by MetGen’s capabilities, can create a broader array of higher-value, lower-carbon biochemicals without wasting a molecule,” said Alex Michine, founder of MetGen. “We envision this partnership delivering specific […]
In Georgia, lignin’s complex structure has challenged researchers in breaking it down into useful components that can be used in the sustainable production of chemicals, plastics, and fuels. Therefore, lignin is often discarded as waste during the production of paper and other plant-based products. However, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed an […]
In Germany, the new joint project “LignUp” aims to upgrade lignin from a waste product to a recyclable material. The project will receive almost five million euros in funding from the Carl Zeiss Foundation over the next six years as part of the “CZS Breakthroughs” program External link. Specifically, the researchers are focussing on the […]
Bioprocessing solutions for next gen biorefineries is what MetGen is about, and this illuminating slide guide from ABLC 2024 highlights how they maximize the value for biomass, de-bottleneck a biorefinery, all about the enzymatic lignin fractionation process, their commercial roadmap, and more. CEO Alex Michine is the incisive presenter here.
In Florida, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers have created a potential alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastic that is made from carbon dioxide (CO2) and lignin, a component of wood that is a low-cost byproduct of paper manufacturing and biofuel production. Their research was published in Advanced Functional Materials. This study is the first to demonstrate the […]
In Spain, the PROSPLIGN project – PROSPecting natural LIGNin biodiversity towards unlocking value-added bioactive motifs and molecules – a European funded Research and Innovation Action project, officially kicked off in Dublin recently. The key project objective is to apply state-of-the-art methodologies to prospect the bioactivity potential of lignin – a natural, abundant and sustainable biopolymer […]
