Lignin coating technology for health and cosmetics applications

这个I2I项目展示了一种新型纳米颗粒涂层系统在健康和化妆品成分中的应用。它源于一项研究，该研究证明了木质素清除自由基的能力，以及渥太华大学正在申请的一项专利技术。木质素是地球上第二丰富的天然聚合物，仅次于纤维素。传统上，木质素是纸浆和造纸工业的副产品，很少有增值应用，事实上，香兰素通常被认为是自1937年以来由木质素制成的商业产品的例外情况。几十年来，人们一直通过燃烧木质素来为造纸厂提供能源，但木质素具有非常丰富的结构，其中包括许多有机结构，包括具有优异抗氧化性能的酚类部分。木质素的详细结构取决于树木的种类、地理位置和提取和溶解木质素所需的严酷处理的性质，因为天然聚合物不溶于水和有机溶剂。这项新技术利用光覆盖纳米结构，使其具有不溶性木质素外壳，保持其抗氧化性能，并为健康和化妆品的应用提供生物相容性；一个这样的应用涉及木质素涂层二氧化钛防晒应用的安全形式的发明。扩大木质素涂层材料的生产规模是这个项目的本质，因为生产100克到1公斤规模的材料对于消费品制造商测试新材料至关重要。******

This I2I project demonstrates the utility of a novel nanoparticle coating system for use in health and cosmetics ingredients. It arises from research that has demonstrated lignin's ability to scavenge free radicals, and a patent pending technology filed by the University of Ottawa. Lignin is the second most abundant natural polymer on earth, after cellulose. Traditionally lignin is a by-product of the pulp and paper industry with very few value-added applications, in fact, vanillin is usually mentioned as an exceptional case of a commercial product that has been made from lignin since 1937. For many decades lignin has been burnt to generate energy for paper mills, yet lignin has a remarkable rich structure which includes many organic structures, including phenolic moieties that have excellent antioxidant properties. The detailed structure of lignin depends of the species of tree, the geographical location and the nature of the harsh treatments required to extract and solubilize the lignin, as the natural polymer is insoluble in water and organic solvents. The new technology utilizes light to cover nanostructures with an insoluble lignin shell that preserves its antioxidant properties and can provide biocompatibility for applications in health and cosmetics; one such application involves the invention of a safe form of lignin-coated titanium dioxide sun protection applications. Scale up of the production of lignin coated materials is at the essence of this project, as making the materials available in the 100 g to 1 kg scale is essential for the manufacturers of consumer products to test the new materials.******