Green solvents-based molecular weight controllable fractionation process for industrial alkali lignin at room temperature

The molecular weight is one of the most important factors influencing the utilization of industrial lignin obtained from chemical pulping process. In this paper, a facile operative green solvent system was successfully developed for molecular weight-controllable fractionation of industrial alkali lignin (IAL) at room temperature. The results showed that through adjusting the ratio of water, ethanol and gamma-Valerolactone (GVL), the industrial lignin was fractionated into six levels with molecular weight stepwise controllable from low to high. The fractionation is a physical process according to FTIR and 2D-HSQC NMR analysis, and the chemical structure of lignin has not changed. Additionally, the polydispersity of fractionated lignin with higher molecular weight tends to be narrower. The content of hydroxyl and carboxyl group is higher for the fractionated lignin with lower molecular weight, which would be beneficial for the chemical reactivity in the down-stream application.

Automated summary

A green solvent system was developed for the molecular weight-controllable fractionation of industrial alkali lignin. The fractionation process, achieved by adjusting the ratio of water, ethanol, and gamma-Valerolactone, resulted in six levels of lignin with stepwise controllable molecular weight. The fractionation was confirmed to be a physical process without altering the chemical structure of lignin. The fractionated lignin with higher molecular weight exhibited narrower polydispersity and the fractionated lignin with lower molecular weight had higher content of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, which could enhance its chemical reactivity in downstream applications.