GREEN PREPARATION OF BIOPIASTICS BASED ON DEGRADATION AND CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF LIGNIN RESIDUE

摘要

Owing to its high abundance, high availability, and eco-friendly properties, lignin is currently considered a potential candidate for replacement of petroleum-based plastics. However, the direct incorporation of lignin in bioplastics is not highly efficient and is difficult to carry out due to the complex and heterogeneous structure of lignin. In order to utilize lignin in the production of value-added bioplastics, many processes have been investigated to modify lignin to obtain desired macromonomers possessing enhanced properties compared to lignin itself. In this review, depolymerization via liquefaction and chemical modification of lignin are discussed as two main approaches in order to evaluate the utilization of lignin in bioplastics applications. The optimal conditions for each process are discussed to provide a more detailed outlook. In addition, we also provide an overview of some common bioplastics as well as practical applications. Due to their high performance, these bioplastics are expected to be feasibly commercialized in the near future.