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Lignocellulosic biomass such as plants and agricultural waste are ideal to tackle the current energy crisis and energy-related environmental issues. Carbon-rich lignin is abundant in lignocellulosic biomass, whose high-value transformation and utilization has been the most urgent problem to be solved. Herein, we propose a method for the preparation of porous carbon from lignin employing an H3PO4-assisted hydrothermal method. We characterize the as-prepared lignin-derived porous carbon and investigate its potential for energy storage. After assisted hydrothermal treatment followed by carbonization at 800 °C, the lignin-derived porous carbon displays a high specific capacitance (223.6 F·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1) and excellent cycling ability with good capacitance retention. In this present study, the resultant lignin-derived porous carbon was used as the electrode of a supercapacitor, illustrating yet another potential high-value use for lignin, namely as a candidate for the sustainable fabrication of main supercapacitor components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of electrochemical energy storage (EES) devices demands more advanced power/energy storage technologies. Flexible quasi-solid-state supercapacitors (FSSCs) have been attracting rapid and considerable attention as they exhibit unique and promising advantages, such as a long cycle life, light weight, high power density, and environment friendliness. Hydrogels, commonly synthesized by chemical and/or physical cross-linking of monomers and/or polymers, have already become an emerging platform for the rapid development of FSSCs. Lignocellulose materials are green/sustainable, abundant, and low-cost; due to the synergy of lignocellulose and hydrogels, the development of lignocellulose-based hydrogels/aerogels with distinguished physicochemical properties (e.g., high flexibility, good mechanical strength, and rapid charge transport) offers emerging opportunities for FSSCs. This review highlights the fundamental understanding and recent developments of lignocellulose and supercapacitors, with focus on the latest concepts/technologies in developing hydro- and aerogels based on lignocellulose as major components in FSSCs, structural design, and improvement of the performance of lignocellulose-based electrodes and electrolytes. Furthermore, the challenges and opportunities during the development of lignocellulose-based hydrogels/aerogels in FSSCs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient separation technology for hydrolysates towards a full valorization of bamboo is still a tough challenge, especially regarding the lignin and lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs). The present study aimed to develop a facile approach using organic solvent extraction for efficiently fractionating the main components of bamboo hydrolysates. The high-purity lignin with only a trace of carbohydrates was first obtained by precipitation of the bamboo hydrolysate. The water-soluble lignin (WSL) fraction was extracted in organic solvent through a three-stage organic solvent extraction process, and the hemicellulosic sugars with increased purity were also collected. Furthermore, a thorough characterization including various NMR techniques (31P, 13C, and 2D-HSQC), GPC, and GC-MS was conducted to the obtained lignin-rich-fractions. It was found that the WSL fraction contained abundant functional groups and tremendous amount of LCC structures. As compared to native LCC of bamboo, the WSL fraction exhibited more typical LCC linkages, i.e. phenyl glycoside linkage, which is the main type of chemical linkage between lignin and carbohydrate in both LCC samples. The results demonstrate that organic phase extraction is a highly efficient protocol for the fractionation of hydrolysate and the isolation of LCC-rich streams possessing great potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote the efficient utilization of lignocellulosic materials, one-step fractionation by formic acid-based organosolv process under pressure has been studied for converting lignocellulose in its main components. Lignin and hemicelluloses were selectively dissolved, while cellulose was not obviously degraded. Under optimized conditions (85% formic acid, a liquor-to-solid ratio of 7:1, and a temperature of 145°C for 45 min), this process provided a high efficient way to separate the main components of bamboo, obtaining 42.2% cellulose pulp, 31.5% lignin, 8.5% hemicellulose-rich fraction, 3.56% furfural and 3.80% acetic acid. Cellulose pulp with satisfying viscosity could easily be bleached to a high brightness of over 87% ISO with a short bleaching sequence, and had an acceptable paper strength properties. The recovered lignin fraction contained a small amount of carbohydrates and a considerable part of proteins and p-hydroxycinnamates. Additionally, the organic substances in hemicellulose-rich fraction obtained was composed of 95% carbohydrates, most of which was monosaccharides, as well as 5% lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poplar sapwood chips were autohydrolyzed at three severity levels and subsequently treated with alkali for the production of chemi-mechanical pulp (CMP). The aim was to study the variation of the principal pathways for sodium hydroxide solution and the alkali concentration and distribution inside the autohydrolyzed chips as a function of autohydrolysis (AH) severity. The tyloses in the vessels and some pit membranes were partly dissolved after AH, while the skeletal structure of the fiber and vessel cell walls remained intact. AH had a positive influence on the diffusion and the uniform distribution of NaOH solution both in the axial and radial direction of the chips, but the axial direction was more favored than the radial one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC), as a natural/sustainable material, has attracted considerable attention, and its preparation from the sulfuric acid hydrolysis process has attained the precommercial demonstration stage. In this study, the process was further characterized by following the alkali solubility in an 18 % sodium hydroxide solution (S) and the degree of polymerization (DP) of the cellulosic substrate during the sulfuric acid hydrolysis of cotton fibers. The results showed that the S increased as the hydrolysis progressed until reaching a nearly constant level at about 45 min, while the DP exhibited a decrease and approached a nearly constant level at 55 min. The emergence of the constant S coincided with the formation/appearance of CNC; thus, a 'critical stage' with irregular CNC particle size but high yield was identified during the hydrolysis. The optimization of the CNC preparation process was realized under a shortened reaction time with 41.7 % yield (with a CNC size of <150 nm). Therefore, the amount of S can be used as a new characterization method for the preparation of CNC or other cellulose-derived products during the acid hydrolysis process with the advantage of a favorable product yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The oxidation of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) by sodium periodate can generate aldehyde functions for crosslinking reactions or for further modification, which can extend the range of applications of CNC. In this paper, the effects of reaction conditions during the periodate oxidation of CNC, such as oxidant concentration, pH, temperature and oxidation time on the oxidized CNC yield and the aldehyde content, were investigated and an optimized reaction condition was identified. The generation of aldehyde groups on the CNC was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis, and the decreased crystalline index was observed by X-ray diffraction. The transmission electron microscope observation showed the morphological changes of CNC after the oxidation. The oxidized CNC was used as a strength additive to paper, and the results showed that the dry tensile index was 32.6 % higher than the control sample, and the wet tensile index was reached to 3.08 N.m/g, at the oxidized CNC dosage of 1.2 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) is a reactive sizing agent that can impart good water repellence to paper by decreasing the wettability of the cellulose fibers. However, ASA can undergo hydrolysis, which is detrimental to the ASA sizing efficiency. In order to improve the ASA emulsion stability and ASA sizing efficiency, we used cationically modified cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) to stabilize the cationic starch-emulsified ASA. Transmission electron microscope observation revealed that ASA droplets were well shielded by both the cationic CNCs and cationic starch, which may be responsible for the improved stabilization of ASA. The Hercules size test sizing degree, contact angle and particle size measurements demonstrated that cationic CNCs-ASA sized paper exhibited improved results in comparison with the control (without cationic CNCs under otherwise the same conditions). Furthermore, the resulting cationic CNCs-ASA system can improve the tensile index and burst index of the sized paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of dyes in wastewater effluents made from the textile industry is a major environmental problem due to their complex structure and poor biodegradability. In this study, a cationic lignin polymer was synthesized via the free radical polymerization of lignin with [2-(methacryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethyl ammonium chloride (METAC) and used to remove anionic azo-dyes (reactive black 5, RB5, and reactive orange 16, RO16) from simulated wastewater. The effects of pH, salt, and concentration of dyes, as well as the charge density and molecular weight of lignin-METAC polymer on dye removal were examined. Results demonstrated that lignin-METAC was an effective flocculant for the removal of dye via charge neutralization and bridging mechanisms. The dye removal efficiency of lignin-METAC polymer was independent of pH. The dosage of the lignin polymer required for reaching the maximum removal had a linear relationship with the dye concentration. The presence of inorganic salts including NaCl, NaNO3, and Na2SO4 had a marginal effect on the dye removal. Under the optimized conditions, greater than 98% of RB5 and 94% of RO16 were removed at lignin-METAC concentrations of 120 mg/L and 105 mg/L in the dye solutions, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]