Industrial Lignins

Abstract The instability in the energy and petrochemical markets observed over the past few years is likely to continue in the future with both higher and more volatile oil prices, which have the potential to destabilize economic, political, and social activities. The globally abundant industrial lignins, the so-called “technical lignins”, have the potential to replace a significant fraction of petrochemicals if combined, in the future, with residual lignins produced at the emerging advanced lignocellulose biorefineries. In this context, technical lignins could play a buffering role capable of, at least partially, mitigating the negative effects of the future “oil crunch” we might need to face. However, significant technical progress must still be achieved in our quest to see industrial lignins as viable feedstock in the chemical industry. This chapter reviews the properties, some relevant applications, the analytical particularities of technical lignins, as well as some aspects of their production and the challenges faced for their incorporation in the chemical industry.