Lignin Valorization from Lignocellulosic Biomass: Extraction, Depolymerization, and Applications in the Circular Bioeconomy

Tomas Makaveckas (), Aušra Šimonėlienė and Vilma Šipailaitė-Ramoškienė
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Tomas Makaveckas: Alytus Faculty, Kauno Kolegija Higher Education Institution, Studentų Str. 17, 62252 Alytus, Lithuania
Aušra Šimonėlienė: Faculty of Informatics, Engineering and Technologies, Kauno Kolegija Higher Education Institution, Pramonės av. 22, 50387 Kaunas, Lithuania
Vilma Šipailaitė-Ramoškienė: Faculty of Informatics, Engineering and Technologies, Kauno Kolegija Higher Education Institution, Pramonės av. 22, 50387 Kaunas, Lithuania

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 21, 1-26

Abstract: Lignocellulosic biomass—the non-edible fraction of plants composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin—is the most abundant renewable carbon resource and a key lever for shifting from fossil to bio-based production. Agro-industrial residues (straws, cobs, shells, bagasse, brewery spent grains, etc.) offer low-cost, widely available feedstocks but are difficult to process because their polymers form a tightly integrated, three-dimensional matrix. Within this matrix, lignin provides rigidity, hydrophobicity, and defense, yet its heterogeneity and recalcitrance impede saccharification and upgrading. Today, most technical lignin from pulping and emerging biorefineries is burned for energy, despite growing opportunities to valorize it directly as a macromolecule (e.g., adhesives, foams, carbon precursors, UV/antioxidant additives) or via depolymerization to low-molecular-weight aromatics for fuels and chemicals. Extraction route and severity strongly condition lignin structure linkages (coumaryl-, coniferyl-, and sinapyl-alcohol ratios), determining reactivity, solubility, and product selectivity. Advances in selective fractionation, reductive/oxidative catalysis, and hybrid chemo-biological routes are improving yields while limiting condensation. Remaining barriers include feedstock variability, solvent and catalyst recovery, hydrogen and energy intensity, and market adoption (e.g., low-emission adhesives). Elevating lignin from fuel to product within integrated biorefineries can unlock significant environmental and economic benefits.

Keywords: lignin; lignocellulosic biomass; depolymerization; circular bioeconomy; agro-industrial residues (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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