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The utilization of biomass for the production of agricultural green inputs is regarded as a crucial strategy for achieving low-carbon development in agriculture, while also fully harnessing the potential of renewable resources. Pesticides, as a vital agricultural input, often encounter issues pertaining to inefficient usage, resulting in significant environmental pollution and economic losses. As a main component of lignocellulosic biomass, lignin has become one of the most appealing biopolymers for the construction of advanced pesticide delivery systems. This review aims to provide a thorough summary of the advancements in lignin-based controlled release formulations (LCRFs) for the precise delivery of pesticides. The research in this field has experienced rapid growth in the past five years, making it an important area of study. Common LCRFs are introduced, and the factors influencing the release of active ingredients (AIs) within different LCRFs are analyzed. Special emphasis is placed on intelligent-responsive LCRFs, encompassing an overview of the existing formulations and an exploration of their potential application scenarios and development strategies. It is crucial to promote innovation in pesticide formulations based on the actual demands of agricultural production. We hope this review will stimulate the high-value utilization of lignin and the green development of plant protection technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Fluid shear as a novel force was effective in driving biomass pretreatment reactions. • 90% of lignin and hemicellulose in biomass could be separated by fluid shearing. • Glucose yield via enzymatic hydrolysis tripled after fluid-shear pretreatment. • The obtained lignin kept a structure similar to that of native lignin. • Mechanism of biomass pretreatment by fluid shearing was preliminarily revealed. Pretreatment is the initial stage of lignocellulosic biorefinery process, but is limited by the time-consuming processes, harsh conditions and/or undesirable products. Herein, a mild (<60 °C) and highly efficient pretreatment strategy is developed. The novel mechanocatalytical reaction system driven by fluid shear force helps to exfoliate cellulose from lignocellulose, and the heat generated by the shear process can be used to precipitate and recover the dissolved cellulose from the precooled NaOH/urea solution. The regenerated cellulose shows satisfying crystal structure (cellulose II), significantly decreased crystallinity and nearly tripled enzymolysis glucose yield. Almost 90% of lignin and hemicellulose could be rapidly separated. The separated lignin shows a nearly native structure with 64% β-O-4 linkage, which is even higher than the ball-milling lignin (60%). This research provides a theoretical guidance for the mild pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass, which will push the application of mechanocatalytical reaction system in biorefinery processes on a large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In pursuit of low-carbon development, the production of diverse functional materials from renewable resources, especially lignocellulosic biomass, is of vital importance. Lignin is a major component of lignocellulose, and it is nature's only true high-volume aromatic polymer, which has the advantages of biodegradability, biocompatibility, and low acquisition cost. After modification by a variety of physicochemical strategies, it can be applied as an alternative to basic industrial materials, including polyurethanes, phenolic, and epoxy resins, which stands comparably to conventional synthetic polymers in terms of both performance and reduced cost. To further unlock the potential of lignin, an alluring opportunity is the exploitation of lignin for high-value materials, especially nanomaterials, that find extensive applications in energy and environment areas. This review provides a systematic summary and perspective of research that has been devoted to lignin transformation to high-value materials, ranging from industrially well-established engineering materials to the recently emerged nanomaterials that were used for energy and environment applications. Latest cutting-edge innovations on lignin modification, controlled depolymerization, and assembly during the last five years are summarized. Structure-function relationships of lignin materials in terms of their specific applications are analyzed. Furthermore, challenges and future opportunities for lignin conversion to high-value materials are also provided. We wish this review will stimulate further advances in lignin based high-value materials, and promote "waste" into "wealth". • Lignin-based materials are the way of high-value utilization of biomass. • The development of lignin chemistry is reviewed in this paper. • The modification methods of lignin are summarized. • The application of lignin-based polymer materials is evaluated. • Lignin-based nanomaterials and lithium battery materials are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The composite microbial system of MC1 was used to degrade corn stalk in order to determine properties of the degraded products as well as bacterial composition of MC1. Results indicated that the pH of the fermentation broth was typical of lignocellulose degradation by MC1, decreasing in the early phase and increasing in later stages of the degradation. The microbial biomass peaked on the day 3 after degradation. The MC1 efficiently degraded the corn stalk by nearly 70% during which its cellulose content decreased by 71.2%, hemicellulose by 76.5% and lignin by 24.6%. The content of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) in the fermentation broth increased progressively during the first three days, and decreased thereafter, suggesting an accumulation of WSC in the early phase of the degradation process. Total levels of various volatile products peaked in the third day after degradation, and 7 types of volatile products were detected in the fermentation broth. These were ethanol, acetic acid, 1,2-ethanediol, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, 3-methyl-butanoic acid and glycerine. Six major compounds were quantitatively analysed and the contents of each compound were ethanol (0.584 g/L), acetic acid (0.735 g/L), 1,2-ethanediol (0.772 g/L), propanoic acid (0.026 g/L), butanoic acid (0.018 g/L) and glycerine (4.203 g/L). Characterization of bacterial cells collected from the culture solution, based on 16S rDNA PCR-DGGE analysis of DNAs, showed that the composition of bacterial community in MC1 coincided basically with observations from previous studies. This indicated that the structure of MC1 is very stable during degradation of different lignocellulose materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The ready formation of scum in vertical reactors has been a bottleneck in the digestion of lignocellulosic materials for biogas production. This study describes a single vertical reactor that integrates the acidogenic and methanogenic phases of this process. The effects of two types of maize stover feedstock (fresh and silage) and two mixing intensities (20 and 70 rpm) on methane yield were orthogonally determined. Fresh maize stover yielded approximately 14% more methane than silage maize stover. Mixing at 20 rpm contributed to methane yield, while mixing at 70 rpm blurred the phase boundary, resulting in accumulation of volatile fatty acids and loss of methanogens. The upper and lower phases clearly constituted a two-phase fermentation system. Clostridiales occupied the acidogenic phase, while the predominant bacteria in the methanogenic phase were Bacteroidetes , Chloroflexi , and Synergistetes . The absolute predominance of Methanosaetaceae clearly demonstrated that aceticlastic methanogenesis was the main route of methane production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mild pretreatments for near-complete saccharification of desirable lignocelluloses. • Integrated green-like biomass pretreatments to achieve maximum cellulosic ethanol. • Green-like pretreatments selectable for generation of nanomaterials and nanocarbon. • Distinct pretreatment mechanisms accounting for biomass recalcitrance reduction. • A novel strategy for cost-effective biofuels and functional materials at high value. Lignocellulose represents the most abundant carbon-capturing substance that is convertible for biofuels and bioproduction. Although biomass pretreatments have been broadly applied to reduce lignocellulose recalcitrance for enhanced enzymatic saccharification, they mostly require strong conditions with potential secondary waste release. By classifying all major types of pretreatments that have been recently conducted with different sources of lignocellulose substrates, this study sorted out their distinct roles for wall polymer extraction and destruction, leading to the optimal pretreatments evaluated for cost-effective biomass enzymatic saccharification to maximize biofuel production. Notably, all undigestible lignocellulose residues are also aimed for effective conversion into value-added bioproduction. Meanwhile, desired pretreatments were proposed for the generation of highly-valuable nanomaterials such as cellulose nanocrystals, lignin nanoparticles, functional wood, carbon dots, porous and graphitic nanocarbons. Therefore, this article has proposed a novel strategy that integrates cost-effective and green-like pretreatments with desirable lignocellulose substrates for a full lignocellulose utilization with zero-biomass-waste liberation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pretreatment is a key step for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to biomethane via anaerobic digestion (AD). Though various chemical pretreatment strategies have been developed, most of them are costly and environmentally unfriendly, which seriously prevents them from practical applications. This study provides an innovative strategy that uses two kinds of AD byproducts, i.e., CO 2 and acidogenesis liquid digestate (ALD), to replace conventional chemical reagents for pretreating corn stover. The effect of CO 2 -ALD pretreatment at different temperatures (35, 55, and 100 °C) on biomethane production as well as characteristics of pretreated solid and liquid products were studied. Results showed that the highest biomethane yield was obtained after using 1 Mpa CO 2 in ALD at 55 °C pretreatment, which was 63.85% higher than the untreated sample. Meanwhile, CO 2 -ALD pretreatment could destroy the stubborn structure of lignocellulose and separate partially cellulose and hemicellulose, from the stover. The microbial community analysis indicated that this pretreatment strategy enhanced the abundance of hydrolytic bacteria and promoted the acetotrophic pathway. Further energy balance analysis proved that using 1 Mpa CO 2 in ALD at 55 °C for pretreatment had the highest energy gain (E out /E in), which was 30.51 % higher than that without any pretreatment. [Display omitted] • Acidogenesis liquid digestate and carbon dioxide were used to pretreat corn stover. • The stubborn obstruction of lignocellulose was eliminated after pretreatment. • A 63.85 % methane enhancement was achieved by this pretreatment. • Microbial community changes revealed that the acetotrophic pathway was promoted. • The energy ratio increased by 30.51 % under the best pretreatment conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Effect of microbial pretreatment on methane production of LMSW was evaluated. [•] Soluble substrates in hydrolysate increased obviously after microbial pretreatment. [•] CH4 production yields and rates significantly increased after microbial pretreatment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

[Display omitted] • Anaerobic digestion by-products were used to pretreated corn straw. • Methane production was improved by 50.97% after CO 2 -liquid digestate pretreatment. • The dense structure of straw could be effectively destroyed after pretreatment. • Pretreatment at 170 ℃ hindered methane production due to formation of inhibitors. • Mechanism behind CO 2 -liquid digestate pretreatment was elucidated. The development of biogas projects feed by lignocellulosic biomass has been constrained by the high cost of pre- and post-treatment. In this study, a novel strategy for pretreatment by using two by-products, i.e., CO 2 and liquid digestate (LD), generated from anaerobic digestion (AD) was developed to overcome these shortcomings. Results showed that corn straw pretreated in LD pressurized under 1 Mpa CO 2 at 55 ℃ resulted in increased glucose and xylose contents and a 9.80% decrease in cellulose crystallinity. After 45 days of AD conversion, the methane yield increased by 50.97% compared with untreated straw. However, pretreatment in LD pressurized under 1 Mpa CO 2 at 170 ℃ produced 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural, which led to a decrease in methane production from the straw in the subsequent AD conversion. The alteration of the microbial community in the pretreated slurry at 55 °C was another potential contributor to the enhanced performance of AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving biomass enzymatic saccharification is effective for crop straw utilization, whereas phytoremediation is efficient for trace metal elimination from polluted agricultural soil. Here, we found that the green proteins extracted from Amaranthus leaf tissue could act as active biosurfactant to remarkably enhance lignocellulose enzymatic saccharification for high bioethanol production examined in eight grassy and woody plants after mild chemical and green-like pretreatments were performed. Notably, this study estimated that total green proteins supply collected from one-hectare-land Amaranth plants could even lead to additional 6400–12,400 tons of bioethanol, being over 10-fold bioethanol yield higher than those of soybean seed proteins and chemical surfactant. Meanwhile, the Amaranth green proteins were characterized as a dominated biosorbent for multiple trace metals (Cd, Pb, As) adsorption, being 2.9–6 folds higher than those of its lignocellulose. The Amaranth plants were also assessed to accumulate much more trace metals than all other plants as previously examined from large-scale contaminated soils. Furthermore, the Amaranth green proteins not only effectively block lignin to release active cellulases for the mostly enhanced biomass hydrolyzes, but also efficiently involve in multiple chemical bindings with Cd, which should thus address critical issues of high-costly biomass waste utilization and low-efficient trace metal remediation. ga1 • Amaranth green proteins act as universal biosurfactant for biomass lignin blocking. • Enhanced saccharification of diverse biomass residues by green proteins supply. • Green proteins paly a dominated biosorbent role for three trace metals adsorption. • Amaranth plants accumulate much more trace metals than all other plants from lands. • Green proteins involve in multiple chemical interlinking with Cd for adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The catalytic conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to aviation fuel is identified as a key strategy to alleviate high operating costs and serious environmental pollution caused by using petroleum-derived fuels. Aviation fuel with stringent end-use requirements consists of several specific hydrocarbon compositions, and the conversion of lignocellulose to aviation fuel is more challenging than that to other fuels. In this study, the latest cutting-edge innovations on the catalytic conversion of lignocellulose to aviation fuel was summarized. Promising routes for the catalytic conversion of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and their derivatives were elaborated, with emphasis on those catalytic approaches including depolymerization of C–O bonds, formation/rearrangement of C–C bonds, and hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) removal of oxygen-containing functional groups. Innovations on reaction mechanism exploration, catalyst development, solvent screening, and reaction condition optimization were introduced. It revealed that a 100% biomass-derived aviation fuel could be produced by catalytic methods with the full utilization of all lignocellulosic compositions. Straight and branched paraffins in aviation-fuel range could be generated from cellulose and hemicellulose via various intermediates including 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), furfural, levulinic acid, and γ−valerolactone. The degradation and HDO conversion of lignin could yield aromatics and cycloparaffins in aviation range. The development of hydrothermal stable catalysts for the controllable formation of C–C bonds among platform chemicals from carbohydrates as well as for the efficient HDO conversion of fuel precursors is particularly important. Image 1 • All compositions in lignocellulose can be catalytically converted to aviation fuel. • A 100% biomass-derived aviation fuel can be produced by catalytic methods. • Paraffins for aviation fuel can be produced from cellulose and hemicellulose. • Cycloalkanes and aromatics for aviation fuel can be generated from lignin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lignocellulosic biomass holds great potential in the production of renewable energy such as biomethane via anaerobic digestion. However, the digestion performance of the three main compositions of lignocellulose during biogas production is not well understood so far, and this has greatly hindered the efficient use of biomass by anaerobic fermentation. In this study, the anaerobic digestion performances of glucose, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and their combinations in biomethane production were investigated. The biomethane production potential of cellulose was higher than that of hemicellulose and lignin, and high crystallinity cellulose shows adverse impact on methane production. Hemicellulose had a fast hydrolysis rate and was easier to be digested than cellulose, but it also easily led to excessive acids accumulation. Lignin showed a very limited potential in biomethane production. The co-fermentation of cellulose and hemicellulose could promote cellulose conversion and eliminate the over-acidification of hemicellulose, resulting in efficient and stable biogas production. The co-fermentation of lignin with cellulose and hemicellulose showed an inhibition in biomethane production, and lignin with different structure and sulfur content had different degree of inhibition. This study provides insights into the mechanisms of anaerobic fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass, and paves the way for the better use of biomass. • Cellulose showed the highest methane production potential than hemicellulose and lignin. • Reducing the crystallinity of cellulose was beneficial to biomethane production. • Hemicellulose and glucose were easily led to rancidity when were digested alone. • Lignin containing sulfur had a more serious inhibition on anaerobic digestion than that without sulfur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]