SUPERVISOR: Antje POTTHAST

PROJECT ASSIGNED TO: Nadine KOHLHUBER 

Lignin is the most abundant aromatic biopolymer on earth with an estimated annual production of 70 million tons worldwide. Unlike other biopolymers like cellulose, lignin is already a very complex molecule after its biosynthesis in the plant. Various industrial conversion processes of wood or annual plants in the pulp and paper industry lead to a drastic change of the native lignin structure e.g. condensation, degradation and loss or formation of functional groups. This leads usually to a loss of lignin reactivity. As a result, lignin is available in vast quantities and in chemically modified form as so called “technical lignin”. Utilization of these technical lignins is far more difficult than the structure of a native lignin would suggest. Therefore, the structural understanding of technical lignins is key to its successful utilization.

The aim of the dissertation project “Utilization of Lignin for Material Applications” is to gain a better understanding of the structure and property relationships. Different lignins are analyzed and modified to establish a valid structure - property relationship. In addition to the analytical characterization, special application tests, in laboratory and larger scale are carried out to improve and increase the use of lignin for various technical applications.