A Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) program aims to develop catalysts and advanced manufacturing processes to convert lignin into value-added chemicals and materials.
Lignin is an energy-dense, but difficult-to-process, molecule that gives plants their structure. It can be derived from discarded agricultural and forestry residues.
Biomass is a potential alternative to petroleum-based products, but lignin is so difficult to process that it is often burned for low-value heat or simply thrown away.
“We are aiming for atomic-level precision to turn what is now largely a waste product into a stateside-derived, on-demand resource,” Dr. William Mounfield, Fleetwood program manager, said. “Success will mean we can support future warfighting concepts with advanced materials produced efficiently and effectively, wherever our forces are deployed.
“By making the carbon in lignin accessible, we can dramatically boost the overall carbon conversion efficiency of biomass. This not only unlocks a massive, untapped domestic resource but also enables the creation of smaller, modular biorefineries that can bolster manufacturing and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
The Fleetwood program aims to develop new methods to efficiently access and break down lignin from raw biomass and create methods to convert the processed lignin into specific, high-value products. It will build on recent scientific breakthroughs.