All Issue

2025 Vol.57, Issue 4 Preview Page

Original Paper

Characterization of Organosolv Lignin Derived from Non-Woody Biomass

비목질계 바이오매스 유래 유기용매 리그닌의 특성 분석

Soohyeon Hwang1
,
Jaehyeon Park2
,
Jaehyeung Park3‡
,
Kang-Jae Kim4†
황 수현1
,
박 재현2
,
박 재형3‡
,
김 강재4†
1Department of Wood Science and Technology, Kyungpook National University
2Department of Carbon Composite Fiber Materials, Kyungpook National University
3Department of Bio-Fibers and Materials Science, Kyungpook National University
4Major in Wood and Paper Science, School of Forestry, Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Kyungpook National University
1경북대학교 임산공학과 대학원생
2경북대학교 탄소복합섬유소재학과 대학원생
3경북대학교 바이오섬유소재학과 교수
4경북대학교 산림과학·조경학부 임산공학전공 교수
†Corresponding Author: E-mail: jaeya0624@knu.ac.kr (Address: Major in Wood and Paper Science, School of Forestry, Sciences and Landscape Architecture, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea)
‡Corresponding Author: E-mail: parkj@knu.ac.kr (Address: Department of Bio-Fibers and Materials Science, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 41566, Republic of Korea)
30 August 2025. pp. 90-99
PDF XML Citation
Abstract

As a potential fuel source, lignin promises to mitigate the environmental crises and depletion of natural resources caused by fossil fuel usage. This paper analyzes the properties of lignin extracted from non-woody biomasses (ramie, kenaf, and hemp) using a glycol ether-organosolv process. To recover the lignin, a 50-g sample of each non-woody biomass was soaked in a glycol ether/H2SO4 co-solvent (96:4 wt./wt.; ether: H2SO4 ratio of 1:10) for 24 h at room temperature. The mixture was reacted in an autoclave at 121°C and 0.15 MPa for 2 h, followed by vacuum filtration. The pulp and black liquor were separated through repeated washing with 1% NaOH and distilled water. The black liquor was adjusted to pH 2 or 5, allowed to settle for 24 h, centrifuged, and dried to obtain lignin at high yield. The lignin yields from hemp (bast) and kenaf were 32.6% and 31.7%, respectively, with Klason lignin contents of 52.4–62.9%. All samples contained hydroxyl groups (3–4 mmol/g) with sizeable proportions of phenolic hydroxyl groups (1.5–1.8 mmol/g). In antioxidant activity tests, hemp (hurd) exhibited the strongest activity and the lowest half-maximal inhibitory concentration (0.064 mg/mL). Principal component analysis classified the biomass constituents by their aromatic structures and clarified the remaining amount of polysaccharides in each biomass. These findings indicate the high functionality and strong commercial potential of non-woody biomass-derived lignin as an eco-friendly material and a viable alternative to fossil fuel-based resources.

Keywords
Non-woody biomass
organosolv process
lignin
hydroxyl group a
radical scavenging activity
References
1

Rosenboom, J. G., Langer, R., and Traverso, G., Bioplastics for a circular economy, Nature Reviews Materials 7:117-137 (2022).

10.1038/s41578-021-00407-835075395PMC8771173
2

Ryu, J. and Lee, J. M., Organosolv pulping of hemp stem for a potential papermaking pulp, Journal of Korea TAPPI 54(2):18-26 (2022).

10.7584/JKTAPPI.2022.04.54.2.18
3

Kwon, S., A review of biodegradation mechanisms and evaluation methods for biobased materials: Polysaccharides, lignin, and biopolyesters, Journal of Korea TAPPI 57(2):5-19 (2025).

10.7584/JKTAPPI.2025.4.57.2.5
4

Tobimatsu, Y., Chen, F., Nakashima, J., Escamilla-Treviño, L., Jackson, L., Dixon, R. A., and Ralph, J., Coexistence but independent biosynthesis of catechyl and guaiacyl/syringyl lignin polymers in seed coats, Plant Cell 25(7):2587-2600 (2013).

10.1105/tpc.113.11314223903315PMC3753385
5

Sadeghifar, H. and Ragauskas, A. J., Lignin as a bioactive polymer and heavy metal absorber-an overview, Chemosphere 309:136564 (2022).

10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136564
6

Sadeghifar, H. and Ragauskas, A. J., Lignin as a natural antioxidant: Chemistry and applications, Macromol 5(1):5 (2025).

10.3390/macromol5010005
7

Kim, G., Park, J., Kim, B. M., Kim, J., Kim, K. J., and Park, J., Influence of nanoprecipitation techniques on lignin nanoparticle structure, Colloids and surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects 682:132803 (2024).

10.1016/j.colsurfa.2023.132803
8

Yang, J., Ching, Y. C., and Chuah, C. H., Applications of lignocellulosic fibers and lignin in bioplastics: A review, Polymers (Basel) 11(5):751 (2019).

10.3390/polym1105075131035331PMC6572173
9

Meng, X., Crestini, C., Ben, H., Hao, N., Pu, Y., Ragauskas, A. J., and Argyropoulos, D. S., Determination of hydroxyl groups in biorefinery resources via quantitative 31P NMR spectroscopy, Nature Protocol 14:2627-2647 (2019).

10.1038/s41596-019-0191-1
10

Gordobil, O., Herrera, R., Yahyaoui, M., Ilk, S., Kaya, M., and Labidi, J., Potential use of kraft and organosolv lignins as a natural additive for healthcare products, RSC Advance 8:24525-24533 (2018).

10.1039/C8RA02255K
11

Yang, X., Deng, S., Yin, B., Huang, Z., Zhao, K., Zhao, Z., and Zheng, A., Ethylene glycol pretreatment of softwood coupled with fast pyrolysis for sugar production: Solvent recycling and regeneration, Chemical Engineering Journal 501:157749 (2024).

10.1016/j.cej.2024.157749
12

Cao, C., Zhu, Z., Xu, C., Gong, W., Zhou, Y., Yan, L., Hu, Z., Xie, C., and Peng, Y., Improving saccharification of ramie stalks by synergistic effect of in-house cellulolytic enzymes consortium, AMB Express 12:119 (2022).

10.1186/s13568-022-01453-336114307PMC9481857
13

Sun, J., Dutta, T., Parthasarathi, R., Kim, K. H., Tolic, N., Chu, R. K., Isern, N. G., Cort, J. R., Simmons, B. A., and Singh, S., Rapid room temperature solubilization and depolymerization of polymeric lignin at high loadings, Green Chemistry 18:6012-6020 (2016).

10.1039/C6GC02258H
14

Yu, O., Yoo, C. G., Kim, C. S., and Kim, K. H., Understanding the effects of ethylene glycol-assisted biomass fractionation parameters on lignin characteristics using a full factorial design and computational modeling, ACS omega 4:16103-16110 (2019).

10.1021/acsomega.9b0229831592478PMC6777291
15

Kim, K. J. and Eom, T. J., Classification of papers using IR and NIR spectra and prinsipal component analysis, Journal of Korea TAPPI 48(1):34-42 (2016).

10.7584/ktappi.2016.48.1.034
16

Hwang, S. W., Lee, W. H., Horikawa, Y., and Sugiyama, J., Chemometrics approach for species identification of Pinus densiflora Sieb. et Zucc. and Pinus densiflora for. erecta Uyeki - Species classification using near-infrared spectroscopy in combination with multivariate analysis, Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology 43(6):701-713 (2015).

10.5658/WOOD.2015.43.6.701
17

Ahmed, J., Balaji, M. A., Saravanakumar, S. S., and Senthamaraikannan, P., A comprehensive physical, chemical and morphological characterization of novel cellulosic fiber extracted from the stem of Elettaria cardamomum plant, Journal of Natural Fibers 18(10):1460-1471 (2021).

10.1080/15440478.2019.1691121
18

Popescu, C. M., Popescu, M. C., Singurel, G., Vasile, C., Argyropoulos, D. S., and Willfor, S., Spectral characterization of eucalyptus wood, Applied Spectroscopy 61:1168-1177 (2007).

10.1366/000370207782597076
19

Salami, M. A., Kaveian, F., Rafienia, M., Saber-Samandari, S., Khandan, A., and Naeimi, M., Electrospun polycaprolactone/lignin-based nanocomposite as a novel tissue scaffold for biomedical applications, Journal of Medical Signals & Sensors 7:228-238 (2017).

10.4103/jmss.JMSS_11_17
20

Mazurek, S., Mucciolo, A., Humbel, B. M., and Nawrath, C., Transmission Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy allows simultaneous assessment of cutin and cell-wall polysaccharides of Arabidopsis petals, The Plant Journal 74:880-891 (2013).

10.1111/tpj.12164
21

Hailemariam, T. T. and Woldeyes, B., Production and characterization of pulp and paper from flax straw, Scientific Reports 14(1):24300 (2024).

10.1038/s41598-024-74096-y39414847PMC11484954
22

Bouramdane, Y., Haddad, M., Mazar, A., Aît Lyazidi, S., Oudghiri Hassani, H., and Boukir, A., Aged lignocellulose fibers of cedar wood (9th and 12th Century): Structural investigation using FTIR-deconvolution spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), crystallinity indices, and morphological SEM analyses, Polymers (Basel) 16:3334 (2024).

10.3390/polym1623333439684079PMC11644343
23

Sheridan, E., Filonenko, S., Volikov, A., Sirviö, J. A., and Antonietti, M., A systematic study on the processes of lignin extraction and nanodispersion to control properties and functionality, Green Chemistry 26:2967-2984 (2024).

10.1039/D3GC04299E
24

Zhu, G., Ye, D., Chen, X., Wu, Y., Yang, Z., Mai, Y., Liao, B., and Chen, J., Lignin-derived polyphenols with enhanced antioxidant activities by chemical demethylation and their structure-activity relationship, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules 237:124030 (2023).

10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124030
Information
  • Publisher :Korea Technical Association of The Pulp and Paper Industry
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국펄프종이공학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Korea TAPPI
  • Journal Title(Ko) :펄프종이기술
  • Volume : 57
  • No :4
  • Pages :90-99
  • Received Date : 2025-08-09
  • Revised Date : 2025-08-15
  • Accepted Date : 2025-08-16
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7584/JKTAPPI.2025.8.57.4.90
Journal Informaiton Journal of Korea TAPPI Journal of Korea TAPPI
Online Submission
  • scopus
  • NRF
  • KOFST
  • crossref crossmark
  • crossref cited-by
  • crosscheck
  • orcid
Journal Informaiton Journal Informaiton - close