Lignin-based Advanced Materials as part of a Pulp and Paper Biorefinery

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Carbon/graphite fibres are arguably some of the most important and widely used advanced engineering marterials. Lightweight fatigue resistance materials, they possess high strength/modulus and high stiffness. Advanced fibres, such as carbon fibres (CF) are routinely being used in sports equipment, marine products, and the transportation industries.Lignin is an ideal biopolymer precursor for the production of carbon fibres. It is a polyaromatic macromolecule thought to be a petroleum progenitor. Lignin-based products such as carbon fibres are a vital component of the Pulp and paper biorefinery strategy; applying the biorefinery concept allows the creation of high-value co-products that can improve profitability and increase efficiency of the whole operation. Lignin-based fibres/carbon fibres proide a unique opportunity to not only enhance the economics of papermaking, but also reduce vehicle weight by replacing steel in various automotive components. This project will investigatethe development of carbon fibres and nanofibres from lignin. Using advanced separationtechnologies we will evaluate various fractionated lignin preparations for carbon fibre production and fibre properties, and explore the applicability for large scale carbon fibre and nanofibre production.