Discover the Potential of Lignin’s Applications

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The latest TAPPI Nanotechnology webinar, Insight into Lignin-Based Materials, takes place next Tuesday, October 25th from 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (ET). Professor Scott Renneckar from The University of British Columbia’s Department of Wood Science will discuss lignin as an emerged and important component for the valorization of plant biomass. Interesting approaches for upgrading lignin either by controlled depolymerization using catalytic fractionation or materials fabrication have been of great interest to the research community. For the latter, exploitation of industrially available technical lignins, such as kraft and organosolv lignins have provided pathways towards functional materials such as mesoporous aerogels, nanofiber sponges, lignin polymer blends, carbon fiber and colloidal lignin particles.

Aimed at researchers and managers wanting to better understand lignin and its potential with some observations about lignin structure, this talk will highlight some basic information about lignin (types and sources) and how these feedstocks can be manipulated into new materials. The talk will also describe some processes about making lignin more uniform by fractionation and chemical modification to discuss some structure and property relationships.

Meet Presenter: Prof. Scott Renneckar Department of Wood Science University of British Columbia (UBC) Scott Renneckar is a Professor in the Department of Wood Science at the University of British Columbia where he does research and teaching around sustainable biobased materials. He earned his PhD and BSc degrees from Virginia Tech (USA) in Wood Science, along with a MSc in Wood Science from the University of California, Berkeley. He moved to UBC in 2014, after serving as a professor at Virginia Tech for 9 years. He leads a dynamic team of researchers working on projects of lignin and heteropolysaccharide valorization, biomass fractionation, and nanocomposites. Scott is recognized as a Canada Research Chair in Advanced Renewable Materials contributing to bioproducts research at UBC as theme-lead for UBC’s Bioproducts Institute. Currently, he serves as Chair of the Cellulose and Renewable Materials Division of the American Chemical Society. He serves as the Program Director for the Forest Bioeconomy Sciences and Technology (BEST) degree in the Faculty of Forestry.

Webinar attendance is free and open to everyone, but registration is required.
There is still time to reserve your space today!