Non–solvent Fractionation of Lignin Enhances Carbon Fiber Performance
Abstract
Abstract Even though lignin carbon fiber has been sought after for several decades, the poor mechanical performance remains to be a major barrier for commercial applications. The low mechanical performance is attributed to the heterogeneity of lignin polymer. Recent advances in fractionation technologies showed the great potential to reduce lignin heterogeneity, but current fractionation methods often depend on costly chemicals and materials such as enzymes, organic solvents, membranes, and dialysis tubes. Here, a new non‐solvent strategy was developed to fractionate lignin by autohydrolysis. By using only water, lignin was efficiently fractionated into water‐soluble and ‐insoluble fractions. The latter fraction had increased molecular weight and uniformity and resulted in more β‐O‐4 interunitary linkages as analyzed by size‐exclusion chromatography and 2D heteronuclear single quantum coherence NMR spectroscopy, respectively. In particular, the water‐insoluble fraction significantly enhanced the mechanical performances of the resultant carbon fibers. Mechanistic study by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed that the miscibility of lignin with guest polyacrylonitrile molecules was improved with the reduced lignin heterogeneity. Crystallite analyses by XRD and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the crystallite size and content of the pre‐graphitic turbostratic carbon structure were increased. The fundamental understanding revealed how lignin fractionation could modify lignin chemical features tomore »
- Authors:
-
- Texas A & M Univ., College Station, TX (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); The Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1545576
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1560165
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725; EE0007104; EE0006112; EE0008250
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- ChemSusChem
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 12; Journal Issue: 14; Journal ID: ISSN 1864-5631
- Publisher:
- ChemPubSoc Europe
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; autohydrolysis; carbon fibers; fractionation; lignin; mechanical performance
Citation Formats
Yuan, Joshua S., Li, Qiang, Li, Mengjie, Lin, Hao -Sheng, Hu, Cheng, Truong, Phuc, Zhang, Tan, Sue, Hung -Jue, Pu, Yunqiao Joseph, and Ragauskas, Arthur J. Non–solvent Fractionation of Lignin Enhances Carbon Fiber Performance. United States: N. p., 2019.
Web. doi:10.1002/cssc.201901052.
Yuan, Joshua S., Li, Qiang, Li, Mengjie, Lin, Hao -Sheng, Hu, Cheng, Truong, Phuc, Zhang, Tan, Sue, Hung -Jue, Pu, Yunqiao Joseph, & Ragauskas, Arthur J. Non–solvent Fractionation of Lignin Enhances Carbon Fiber Performance. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201901052
Yuan, Joshua S., Li, Qiang, Li, Mengjie, Lin, Hao -Sheng, Hu, Cheng, Truong, Phuc, Zhang, Tan, Sue, Hung -Jue, Pu, Yunqiao Joseph, and Ragauskas, Arthur J. Wed .
"Non–solvent Fractionation of Lignin Enhances Carbon Fiber Performance". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201901052. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1545576.
@article{osti_1545576,
title = {Non–solvent Fractionation of Lignin Enhances Carbon Fiber Performance},
author = {Yuan, Joshua S. and Li, Qiang and Li, Mengjie and Lin, Hao -Sheng and Hu, Cheng and Truong, Phuc and Zhang, Tan and Sue, Hung -Jue and Pu, Yunqiao Joseph and Ragauskas, Arthur J.},
abstractNote = {Abstract Even though lignin carbon fiber has been sought after for several decades, the poor mechanical performance remains to be a major barrier for commercial applications. The low mechanical performance is attributed to the heterogeneity of lignin polymer. Recent advances in fractionation technologies showed the great potential to reduce lignin heterogeneity, but current fractionation methods often depend on costly chemicals and materials such as enzymes, organic solvents, membranes, and dialysis tubes. Here, a new non‐solvent strategy was developed to fractionate lignin by autohydrolysis. By using only water, lignin was efficiently fractionated into water‐soluble and ‐insoluble fractions. The latter fraction had increased molecular weight and uniformity and resulted in more β‐O‐4 interunitary linkages as analyzed by size‐exclusion chromatography and 2D heteronuclear single quantum coherence NMR spectroscopy, respectively. In particular, the water‐insoluble fraction significantly enhanced the mechanical performances of the resultant carbon fibers. Mechanistic study by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) revealed that the miscibility of lignin with guest polyacrylonitrile molecules was improved with the reduced lignin heterogeneity. Crystallite analyses by XRD and Raman spectroscopy revealed that the crystallite size and content of the pre‐graphitic turbostratic carbon structure were increased. The fundamental understanding revealed how lignin fractionation could modify lignin chemical features to enhance the mechanical performance of resultant carbon fibers. The autohydrolysis fractionation thus represents a green, economic, and efficient methodology to process lignin waste and boost lignin carbon fiber quality, which could open new horizons for lignin valorization.},
doi = {10.1002/cssc.201901052},
journal = {ChemSusChem},
number = 14,
volume = 12,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Wed May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}
Web of Science
Works referenced in this record:
Lignin Valorization: Improving Lignin Processing in the Biorefinery
journal, May 2014
- Ragauskas, A. J.; Beckham, G. T.; Biddy, M. J.
- Science, Vol. 344, Issue 6185, p. 1246843-1246843
How biotech can transform biofuels
journal, February 2008
- Lynd, Lee R.; Laser, Mark S.; Bransby, David
- Nature Biotechnology, Vol. 26, Issue 2, p. 169-172
Chemical modification of lignins: Towards biobased polymers
journal, July 2014
- Laurichesse, Stéphanie; Avérous, Luc
- Progress in Polymer Science, Vol. 39, Issue 7, p. 1266-1290
Conversion of technical lignins to functional materials with retained polymeric properties
journal, April 2015
- Matsushita, Yasuyuki
- Journal of Wood Science, Vol. 61, Issue 3
Sustainable carbon materials
journal, January 2015
- Titirici, Maria-Magdalena; White, Robin J.; Brun, Nicolas
- Chemical Society Reviews, Vol. 44, Issue 1, p. 250-290
Quality carbon fibers from fractionated lignin
journal, January 2017
- Li, Qiang; Xie, Shangxian; Serem, Wilson K.
- Green Chemistry, Vol. 19, Issue 7
Lignin carbon fiber: The path for quality
journal, January 2017
- Li, Qiang; Ragauskas, Arthur; Yuan, Joshua
- TAPPI Journal, Vol. 16, Issue 03
Molecular weight and uniformity define the mechanical performance of lignin-based carbon fiber
journal, January 2017
- Li, Qiang; Serem, Wilson K.; Dai, Wei
- Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol. 5, Issue 25
Tuning hydroxyl groups for quality carbon fiber of lignin
journal, November 2018
- Li, Qiang; Naik, Mandar T.; Lin, Hao-Sheng
- Carbon, Vol. 139
Comparative genome analysis of lignin biosynthesis gene families across the plant kingdom
journal, January 2009
- Xu, Zhanyou; Zhang, Dandan; Hu, Jun
- BMC Bioinformatics, Vol. 10, Issue Suppl 11
Dehydrogenative Polymerization of Coniferyl Alcohol in Artificial Polysaccharides Matrices: Effects of Xylan on the Polymerization
journal, May 2015
- Li, Qiang; Koda, Keiichi; Yoshinaga, Arata
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 63, Issue 18
Lignin Biosynthesis
journal, June 2003
- Boerjan, Wout; Ralph, John; Baucher, Marie
- Annual Review of Plant Biology, Vol. 54, Issue 1, p. 519-546
Lignin biochemistry: Biosynthesis and biodegradation
journal, January 1990
- Higuchi, T.
- Wood Science and Technology, Vol. 24, Issue 1
Lignin-Derived Advanced Carbon Materials
journal, November 2015
- Chatterjee, Sabornie; Saito, Tomonori
- ChemSusChem, Vol. 8, Issue 23
Lignin as Renewable and Superior Asphalt Binder Modifier
journal, March 2017
- Xie, Shangxian; Li, Qiang; Karki, Pravat
- ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 5, Issue 4
Lignin separation and fractionation by ultrafiltration
journal, January 2010
- Toledano, A.; García, A.; Mondragon, I.
- Separation and Purification Technology, Vol. 71, Issue 1
Comparative study of lignin fractionation by ultrafiltration and selective precipitation
journal, February 2010
- Toledano, A.; Serrano, L.; Garcia, A.
- Chemical Engineering Journal, Vol. 157, Issue 1
Advanced Chemical Design for Efficient Lignin Bioconversion
journal, January 2017
- Xie, Shangxian; Sun, Qining; Pu, Yunqiao
- ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 5, Issue 3
Biochemical and molecular characterization of a novel laccase from selective lignin-degrading white-rot fungus Echinodontium taxodii 2538
journal, July 2014
- Shi, Lili; Yu, Hongbo; Dong, Tianbao
- Process Biochemistry, Vol. 49, Issue 7
Methanol Fractionation of Softwood Kraft Lignin: Impact on the Lignin Properties
journal, November 2013
- Saito, Tomonori; Perkins, Joshua H.; Vautard, Frederic
- ChemSusChem, Vol. 7, Issue 1
Solvent screening for the fractionation of industrial kraft lignin
journal, January 2016
- Duval, Antoine; Vilaplana, Francisco; Crestini, Claudia
- Holzforschung, Vol. 70, Issue 1
Fractional Precipitation of Softwood Kraft Lignin: Isolation of Narrow Fractions Common to a Variety of Lignins
journal, February 2014
- Cui, Chengzhong; Sun, Runkun; Argyropoulos, Dimitris S.
- ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 2, Issue 4
Fractionation of Technical Lignin: Molecular Mass and pH Effects
journal, January 2013
- Helander, Mikaela; Theliander, Hans; Lawoko, Martin
- BioResources, Vol. 8, Issue 2
Lignin/Polyacrylonitrile Carbon Fibers: The Effect of Fractionation and Purification on Properties of Derived Carbon Fibers
journal, May 2018
- Liu, Huan; Dai, Zhong; Cao, Qiping
- ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, Vol. 6, Issue 7
Recent advances in carbon fibers derived from biobased precursors
journal, May 2016
- Ogale, Amod A.; Zhang, Meng; Jin, Jing
- Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 133, Issue 45
Recent advances in low-cost carbon fiber manufacture from lignin
journal, April 2013
- Baker, Darren A.; Rials, Timothy G.
- Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 130, Issue 2
Carbon Fibers: Precursor Systems, Processing, Structure, and Properties
journal, March 2014
- Frank, Erik; Steudle, Lisa M.; Ingildeev, Denis
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Vol. 53, Issue 21
Carbonfasern: Präkursor-Systeme, Verarbeitung, Struktur und Eigenschaften
journal, March 2014
- Frank, Erik; Steudle, Lisa M.; Ingildeev, Denis
- Angewandte Chemie, Vol. 126, Issue 21
Improved lignin properties and reactivity by modifications in the autohydrolysis process of aspen wood
journal, March 2008
- Li, Jiebing; Gellerstedt, Göran
- Industrial Crops and Products, Vol. 27, Issue 2
Effect of structural changes of lignin during the autohydrolysis and organosolv pretreatment on Eucommia ulmoides Oliver for an effective enzymatic hydrolysis
journal, June 2015
- Zhu, Ming-Qiang; Wen, Jia-Long; Su, Yin-Quan
- Bioresource Technology, Vol. 185
Kinetics and mechanism of autohydrolysis of hardwoods
journal, October 2010
- Chen, Xiaowen; Lawoko, Martin; Heiningen, Adriaan van
- Bioresource Technology, Vol. 101, Issue 20
Carbon fibres from mesophase pitch
journal, September 1981
- Singer, Leonard S.
- Fuel, Vol. 60, Issue 9
The effect of processing on the structure and properties of carbon fibers
journal, January 1998
- Edie, D. D.
- Carbon, Vol. 36, Issue 4
Lignin-based carbon fibers for composite fiber applications
journal, January 2002
- Kadla, J.F; Kubo, S; Venditti, R.A
- Carbon, Vol. 40, Issue 15, p. 2913-2920
Lignin-based polymer blends: analysis of intermolecular interactions in lignin–synthetic polymer blends
journal, March 2004
- Kadla, John F.; Kubo, Satoshi
- Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, Vol. 35, Issue 3
Relationship between the glass transition temperature and the interaction parameter of miscible binary polymer blends
journal, June 1992
- Lu, Xinya; Weiss, R. A.
- Macromolecules, Vol. 25, Issue 12
Correlation between the glass transition temperatures of polymer mixtures and intermolecular force parameters
journal, September 1987
- Kwei, T. K.; Pearce, Eli M.; Pennacchia, John R.
- Macromolecules, Vol. 20, Issue 5
Processing and characterization of low-cost electrospun carbon fibers from organosolv lignin/polyacrylonitrile blends
journal, April 2016
- Ding, Rui; Wu, Hongchao; Thunga, Mahendra
- Carbon, Vol. 100
Molecular organization of lignin during carbonization
journal, January 1993
- Davé, Vipul; Prasad, Abaneshwar; Marand, Hervé
- Polymer, Vol. 34, Issue 15
Carbon fibers based on pyrolytic lignin
journal, April 2012
- Qin, W.; Kadla, J. F.
- Journal of Applied Polymer Science, Vol. 126, Issue S1