Recovery and characterization of lignin from alkaline straw pulping black liquor: As feedstock for bio-oil research

ABSTRACT Conversion of lignin derived from lignocellulosic biomass to bio‐oil has the promising potential to significantly reduce petroleum dependence. For that purpose, it is necessary to search for a low‐cost lignin source. In this study, lignin sample was separated from straw pulping black liquor by HCl‐precipitation, followed by extraction with a mixture of dioxane and water. The content of lignin in the total black liquor solid reached up to 34.8%, determined by UV spectroscopy, and the yield could account for 74.4% of the total lignin composition. The structure of lignin was investigated by various spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR, 1 H‐NMR, XRD, and XPS. The structural analysis revealed that recovered lignin preserved basic lignin structure, but had relatively lower amount of β‐O‐4 linkages. The molecular weights were studied through THF‐eluted GPC showing that separated lignin had the low M n , which was favorable for the full degradation process during conversion of lignin to bio‐oil. Therefore, a feasible solution for effective utilization of lignin in straw pulping black liquor as feedstock for bio‐oil was proposed in the study. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132 , 42057.