When making cellulosic ethanol from plants, one problem is
what to do with a woody agricultural waste product called lignin. The old adage
in the pulp industry has been that one can make anything from lignin except
money.
A new review article in the journal Science points the way
toward a future where lignin is transformed from a waste product into valuable
materials such as low-cost carbon fiber for cars or bio-based plastics. Using
lignin in this way would create new markets for the forest products industry
and make ethanol-to-fuel conversion more cost-effective.