Lignin as second most abundant natural polymer and practically the only aromatic natural polymer even in recent years remains an underutilized material. While research and development in the past decades has led to efficient uses of polysaccharides, lignin remained a residue material typically burned for energy within the related processes. It is also currently recognized that the continuous rise of biorefineries will highly depend on lignin valorization since biomass is constituted by roughly 15-35% of lignin.    

Biorefining group at Aarhus University has taken the approach of lignin valorization in its macromolecular form and research projects are focusing on further treatment of lignin residue from pulp and paper industry or biorefining plants. Various applications are considered utilizing intrinsic advantages of lignin being a branched amorphous polymer with high concentration of functional groups – like uses in coatings, binders and composites or adsorbing materials. The research involves different chemical modifications of lignin to overcome some of the inherent problems like inhomogeneous structure and difficulties in processing. Efficiency of said modification processes is also taken into account in order to keep lignin competitive as a material in segments dominated by mass production.