Deconstruction of plant tissues: possibilities for obtaining higher added-value materials

Abstract

Biorefineries are becoming increasingly important and current. The "old concept" of using pulp for commercial purposes only as the most important component in plant tissue has been increasingly discontinued in the old pulp and paper industries. Thus, the search for materials derived from the main lignocellulosic components has been increasingly current and important. The deconstruction of plant tissues associated with the utilization and obtaining of new potentially tradable materials constitutes the central objective of the project. In this context, obtaining new products with higher added value derived from cellulose and lignin are fundamental. It is intended to expand the application studies of cellulose-derived hydrogels previously developed by GPML/UFSCar group. A major perspective in relation to this particular application is the preparation of micronutrient-loaded microspheres that can be used in poorly fertile soils and to increase vegetable productivity. Regarding lignin, the main focus will be on the preparation of C foams, possibly reinforced and additive with current applications focused on studies involving thermal and conductive properties of these foams. The literature has described the preparation of C foams from lignin, but the main differential of the work proposed here is to control the molar mass of lignin and to understand the relationship between molar mass/percentage of phenolic units and properties in general. A second application described in the literature has been the use of C foams in oil/water separation in simulations involving possible environmental accidents such as oil spills in the environment. (AU)