PIF2024 - VALORIZACION DE LIGNINAS EN LAS BIORREFINERIAS DE LA LIGNOCELULOSA (PID2023-152543OB-I00)

Plant biomass, composed primarily of cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin, is the predominant source of renewable materials on Earth. This biomass, abundantly available at a low cost, particularly from agricultural and forestry residues, holds immense potential as a cost-effective resource for producing biofuels and bioproducts. Traditionally, biomass conversion industries have focused on converting the carbohydrate fraction into chemicals and biofuels. However, to establish a robust global bio-based circular economy utilizing plant biomass as feedstock, it is crucial to extract value from all its components. In this sense, lignin, as the second most prevalent biomass component and the only constituent based on aromatic units, emerges as a promising renewable source for producing high-value products. However, despite its wide availability, industrial applications of lignin have been limited, mainly due to its inherent structural variability. To overcome this limitation, it is imperative to understand the detailed structures, types, sources, and reactivity of lignins. This project is committed to advancing the understanding and utilization of lignin from underutilized lignocellulosic sources, aiming at producing value-added bioproducts within the framework of a sustainable Bioeconomy. For this, this project aims to develop different lignin deconstruction and depolymerization procedures to obtain monomeric intermediates for further upgrading toward high-value chemicals.