This book presents an overview of various types of lignin and their unique structures and properties, as well as utilizations of crude or modified technical lignin for high-value bioproducts such as lignin-based PF resins/adhesives, epoxy resins, PF foams, PU foams, rubber reinforcement and carbon fibers and as dispersants in drilling fluids in the oil and gas industry. It subsequently discusses various thermal/chemical modification techniques (pyrolysis, direct liquefaction and de-polymerization) for converting lignin into oils and chemical feedstocks, and the utilization of crude lignin, lignin-derived oils or depolymerized lignins (DLs) of reduced molecular weights and improved reactivity to produce lignin-based PF resins/adhesives, PF/PU foams and epoxy resins. The book will interest and benefit a broad readership (graduate students, academic researchers, industrial researchers and practitioners) in various fields of science and technology (chemical engineering, biotechnology, chemistry, material science, forestry, etc.). Chunbao (Charles) Xu, PhD, is currently a Professor of Chemical Engineering and NSERC/FPInnovations Industrial Research Chair in Forest Biorefinery at the University of Western Ontario, Canada. Fatemeh Ferdosian, PhD, is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

Plant polyphenols are secondary metabolites that constitute one of the most common and widespread groups of natural products. They are crucial constituents of a large and diverse range of biological functions and processes, and provide many benefits to both plants and humans. Many polyphenols, from their structurally simplest representatives to their oligo/polymeric versions, are notably known as phytoestrogens, plant pigments, potent antioxidants, and protein interacting agents. This sixth volume of the highly regarded Recent Advances in Polyphenol Research series is edited by Heidi Halbwirth, Karl Stich, Véronique Cheynier and Stéphane Quideau, and is a continuance of the series’ tradition of compiling a cornucopia of cutting-edge chapters, written by some of the leading experts in their respective fields of polyphenol sciences. Highlighted herein are some of the most recent and pertinent developments in polyphenol research, covering such major areas as: Chemistry and physicochemistry Biosynthesis, genetics & metabolic engineering Roles in plants and ecosystems Food, nutrition & health Applied polyphenols This book is a distillation of the most current information, and as such, will surely prove an invaluable source for chemists, biochemists, plant scientists, pharmacognosists and pharmacologists, biologists, ecologists, food scientists and nutritionists.

Lignin Chemistry A thorough reference guide to Lignin Chemistry, from inherent structure revealing to transformation into chemicals, fuels, and materials Climate change, driven by rising greenhouse gas emissions, is the defining challenge of our time. Reducing our dependence on non-renewable resources such as fossil fuels will require alternative, more sustainable resources. Lignin, the only widely-occurring, renewable, aromatic bio-polymer in Nature, has a range of application potential in the production of chemicals, fuels, and other industrial materials. Lignin science has become one of the fastest-growing and most significant areas of sustainable chemistry in the world. Lignin Chemistry: Characterization, Isolation, and Valorization presents a systematic, multidisciplinary overview of this cutting-edge field and its current state of research. Beginning with a robust characterization of lignin, the book addresses the isolation and transformation of lignin, as well as the book inspires with a plethora of applications. The result is a critical resource for researchers and professionals in any area of academic or industry where renewable biomass, in particular lignin, has importance. Lignin Chemistry readers will find: Thermochemical and catalytic strategies for lignin conversion Detailed discussion of the valorization of lignin towards biopolymers, nanoparticles, carbon fibers and materials, and hydrogels An authorial team with immense and varied research experience Lignin Chemistry is ideal for chemical engineers, catalytic chemists, biochemists, material scientists, and analytical chemists in industry.

Lignocellulose is the only renewable carbon source that can help replace oil-based chemicals and materials, in the process fighting global warming. However, because of its chemical and structural complexity, lignocellulose transformation into advanced products requires a better understanding of its composition and of its architecture at different scales, as well as a combination of physical, biological, and chemical processes, in order to render this transformation efficient and economically competitive. Tremendous efforts continue to be made toward the production of ethanol as a biofuel from various lignocellulosic feedstocks. Furthermore, recent successes have been achieved in extracting fibers to prepare composite materials that can compete with plastic fabrics. Importantly, lignocellulose chemistry can bring to the market original and complex chemicals that can lead to new applications, in particular when exploiting aromatic molecules or oligosaccharides from lignocellulose to produce solvents, surfactants, plasticizers, functional additives for food/feed/cosmetics, drugs, monomers, and polymers. In addition to this broad range of molecular products, fibers and particles fractionated from the lignocellulosic biomass are increasingly used to elaborate bio-based composite materials.

This book focuses on the state-of-the-art research, development, and commercial prospective of recent advances in chemical sciences. The innovative work in the field of Environmental Engineering, Bio-chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Nanotechnology, Environment Impact Assessment, Green Technologies. The contents in this book cover various design concepts and control and optimization for applications in Chemical, Bio and Environmental Engineering, manufacturing, Physics, Chemistry and Biological sciences. This book will be useful resource for researchers, academicians as well as professionals interested in the highly interdisciplinary field of Chemical, Bio and Environmental Engineering.

Many plant-derived bioactive compounds are the foundation for drugs or effective drugs to cure diseases. Usually, the bioactive compounds in plant biomass are low, and the extraction of bioactive compounds from plants is not eco-friendly, which limited th Introduces the scale-up and chemical process development for microbial production of plant-derived bioactive compounds Covers the useful and effective sustainable and commercial production of plant-derived bioactive compounds Provides a guide for commercial production of plant-derived bioactive compounds and their uses for human welfare

This book presents the aspects of cellulose obtained in correlation with its integration into the new concept of biorefining. The authors detail the individual steps of pulp manufacture as well as properties and fiber characterization techniques for paper, cellulose derivatives and processing by-products. This book is of interest to scientists and advanced students working in the fields of renewable resources and biorefining.

This book presents a comprehensive overview on origin, structure, properties, modification strategies and applications of the biopolymer lignin. It is organized into four themed parts. The first part focuses on the analysis and characterization of the second most abundant biopolymer. The following part is devoted to the biological aspects of lignin such as biosynthesis and degradation. In the third part, chemical modification strategies and the preparation of composites as well as nano- and microparticles are discussed.The final part addresses the industrial application of lignin and its derivatives, as well as lignin materials. The usage for synthesis of biofuels, fine chemicals and in agriculture and food industry is covered. This book is a comprehensive source for researchers, scientists and engineers working in the field of biopolymers as well as renewable materials and sources.

Lignin - Trends and Applications consists of 11 chapters related to the lignin structure, modification, depolymerization, degradation process, computational modeling, and applications. This is a useful book for readers from diverse areas, such as physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, and engineering. It is expected that this book may expand the reader's knowledge about this complex natural polymer.

Forest Fungi: Biodiversity, Conservation, Mycoforestry and Biotechnology explores sustainable option aspects of forest fungal research, from the selection of hosting plants, isolation, identification, fermentation, identification of secondary metabolites, omics-tools for better understanding the plant–fungus Interactions. Forests are the world's greatest repository of terrestrial biomass, soil carbon and biodiversity. They provide a variety of provisioning, supporting, regulatory and cultural ecosystem services, which are crucial for the survival of human beings. Fungi play key roles in forest ecosystems as mutualists, saprobes and pathogens. - Focuses on the biodiversity of forest fungi and their potential biotechnological application for sustainable development - Includes high quality illustrations and figures for enhanced ease of understanding the process mechanism