Recent Advances in Enzymatic
Conversion of Lignin to Value Added
Products
Giang-Son Nguyen, Anna Sofia Lewin, Francesca Di Bartolomeo,
and Alexander Wentzel
Abstract
Lignin is the second most abundant biopolymer and the largest reservoir of
bio-based aromatic building blocks on earth that could replace numerous
products currently produced from fossil feedstock with more sustainable,
bio-based alternatives. However, its large-scale exploitation for value creation
beyond its current main use in energy applications is hampered by its natural
inertness and structural complexity and the highly denatured state of the bulk of
technical lignin available as a by-product of large-scale processing of
lignocellulose in the pulp and paper industry. In this section, we outline current
paths of lignin valorization for value creation with a focus on enzymatic
processing. Microbial sources and the current status of knowledge of the most
important classes of ligninolytic enzymes are presented, as are options for new
enzyme discovery and possible approaches to solve some of the key challenges
of efficient enzymatic depolymerization of lignin to derive compounds directly
marketable as value-added chemicals or usable as a feedstock for further
upgrading by microbial metabolism to bio-based fuels, chemicals, and materials.
Keywords
Lignin Á Ligninolytic enzymes Á Lignin depolymerization Á Peroxidase Á
Laccase Á Etherase Á Enzyme discovery Á Lignin valorization
G.-S. Nguyen Á A. S. Lewin Á F. Di Bartolomeo Á A. Wentzel (&)
Department of Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, SINTEF Industry, Trondheim, Norway
e-mail: alexander.wentzel@sintef.no
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. J. G. Moura et al. (eds.), Enzymes for Solving Humankind's Problems,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58315-6_14
439
Conversion of Lignin to Value Added
Products
Giang-Son Nguyen, Anna Sofia Lewin, Francesca Di Bartolomeo,
and Alexander Wentzel
Abstract
Lignin is the second most abundant biopolymer and the largest reservoir of
bio-based aromatic building blocks on earth that could replace numerous
products currently produced from fossil feedstock with more sustainable,
bio-based alternatives. However, its large-scale exploitation for value creation
beyond its current main use in energy applications is hampered by its natural
inertness and structural complexity and the highly denatured state of the bulk of
technical lignin available as a by-product of large-scale processing of
lignocellulose in the pulp and paper industry. In this section, we outline current
paths of lignin valorization for value creation with a focus on enzymatic
processing. Microbial sources and the current status of knowledge of the most
important classes of ligninolytic enzymes are presented, as are options for new
enzyme discovery and possible approaches to solve some of the key challenges
of efficient enzymatic depolymerization of lignin to derive compounds directly
marketable as value-added chemicals or usable as a feedstock for further
upgrading by microbial metabolism to bio-based fuels, chemicals, and materials.
Keywords
Lignin Á Ligninolytic enzymes Á Lignin depolymerization Á Peroxidase Á
Laccase Á Etherase Á Enzyme discovery Á Lignin valorization
G.-S. Nguyen Á A. S. Lewin Á F. Di Bartolomeo Á A. Wentzel (&)
Department of Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, SINTEF Industry, Trondheim, Norway
e-mail: alexander.wentzel@sintef.no
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. J. G. Moura et al. (eds.), Enzymes for Solving Humankind's Problems,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58315-6_14
439