As an organic polymer, lignin can be closely intertwined in its natural state, thereby providing important rigid support for plants. But when these resources are converted into paper, a lot of waste will be left in the manufacturing process. For this reason, a research team from the University of Freiburg in Germany has specially developed a method that allows organic polymers to "reuse"-turning them into a basic component of a biopaste suitable for 3D printing .
(From: University of Freiburg)
Previously, many research teams have carried out methods of recycling lignin, such as using carbon fiber, stronger concrete, and even reducing battery manufacturing costs.
However, in reality, most of them are incinerated to produce bioenergy, which is used as part of the papermaking process in order to find new recycling methods in the future.
Professor Marie-Pierre Laborie of the University of Freiburg said that the research team is experimenting with a new type of bio-adhesive material, which is based on the crystallization of cellulose (another key component of biomass) and lignin.
In fact, as early as the 1980s, another team of scientists started researching this. The discovery at that time was that the crystals could provide a certain strength for the paste, and lignin played the role of glue.
By continuously experimenting with the composition of this biological paste, researchers have also discovered other adjustable properties that make it harder or more flexible according to the direction of lignin and the ratio of materials.
As a result, scientists have created a viscous biological paste made of half lignin and half cellulose. It is not only easy to process, but also has the characteristics of rapid fixation, which is quite suitable as a lightweight structure for 3D printing,
At present, the team has used the lignin from beech trees to produce bio-pastes, and noticed that if lignin is extracted from other plants, the characteristics of the final raw materials may be slightly different.
In the next step, they will study how to incorporate lignin as waste from the paper industry into the new process. The details of this research have been published in the recently published "Applied Bio Materials" (Applied Bio Materials) journal.
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