Additive manufactured fully renewable lignin-based biopolymer nanocomposites

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Lignin makes up to 35% of renewable carbon in the world therefore large volume of renewable monomers can be produced from lignin as a potential alternative to fossil based monomers. Through this proposal, we aim to convert lignin into monomers and biobased polymers including polyesters and polyamides and their nanocomposites. Currently, polyesters and polyamides are among the most commonly utilized thermoplastic polymers worldwide but they are produced from fossil fuels. These plastics being non-renewable are leading to significant environmental impacts. In addition to the direct negative impacts on the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon footprint, concerns are being raised on bioaccumulation of plastics on the planet having adverse effects on marine and terrestrial ecosystems as well as human health, and this is considered as the most significant global environmental concern next to changing climate. The need for polymers produced from biomass will be significant in order to mitigate the GHG emissions and reduce bioaccumulation. In this project, we propose synthesis and production of renewable polyester and polyamide thermoplastics. These biopolymers will be produced from Alberta based lignin. The relatively poor processability, low mechanical strength and inferior thermal properties limit the applicability of biopolymers in many industrial applications. Therefore, some of above drawbacks can be overcome by exploiting biopolymer nanotechnology. Nanocomposites, with at least one dimension in nanometre scale, are regarded as a new generation of high performance materials. Particularly, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) and cellulose nano-crystals (CNC) are emerging as a new feedstock for the preparation of high performance nanocomposites. The polymer and the nanocomposites will be produced in pellet form. These pellets will later be chemically and physically characterized. The pellets will also be processed using additive manufacturing technique to produce functional shapes and specimens that will be mechanically and thermomechanically characterized to form a property database for a preparation for higher TRL levels for industrial applications