Lignin Biorefinery

The increasing global demand for sustainable energy, chemicals, and advanced materials has underscored the importance of maximizing the valorization of lignocellulosic biomass, particularly lignin. As an abundant byproduct of biorefineries, lignin holds immense potential for transforming low-value streams into high-value products, ranging from chemicals and polymeric materials to biofuels. This chapter explores lignin&s;s role in biorefineries, focusing on its conversion into valuable chemicals, materials, and innovative applications that add significant value to the biorefinery process. Special attention is given to lignin&s;s use in biobased electronics, electrochemical applications, and biomedical fields, including its incorporation in printed circuit boards, flexible electronics, sensors, and electrodes in supercapacitors/batteries. Additionally, the potential of lignin in biomedical applications such as drug delivery and antimicrobial materials is highlighted. Despite the current industrial practice of burning 95% of lignin for low-efficiency energy recovery, this chapter advocates how advanced physicochemical processes can be used to create high-value products, improving the economic feasibility of lignin-based biorefineries. By addressing challenges such as lignin&s;s structural variability and reactivity, this chapter emphasizes the need for innovative pretreatment and catalytic technologies to fully realize the potential of lignin in driving economic and environmental sustainability within the bioeconomy.