REVIEW article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Plant Biotechnology
This article is part of the Research TopicUnlocking Plant Potential: Biotechnology and Physiological AdvancementsView all articles
Harnessing Plant Lignin for Sustainable Materials and Chemicals: Integrating Biosynthesis, Structural Diversity, and Circular Bioeconomy Perspectives
Provisionally accepted
- 1Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
- 2Yancheng Institute of Technology, Yancheng, China
- 3University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Lignin is the most abundant renewable source of aromatic carbon on Earth and a central yet historically underutilized component of lignocellulosic biomass. Its complex and heterogeneous molecular architecture has long constrained efficient and selective conversion into value-added products, despite its high aromatic carbon content and chemical functionality. Recent advances in lignin extraction, fractionation, modification, and application-driven design have substantially expanded the range of achievable material and chemical performance within circular bioeconomy frameworks. This review provides a comprehensive and critically integrated assessment of lignin valorization that explicitly links plant biosynthesis and structural diversity to industrial convertibility, functional materials development, and sustainability performance. Green extraction technologies—including deep eutectic solvent and hydrotropic systems—are evaluated with respect to lignin structural quality, energy demand, solvent recovery, and downstream compatibility. Targeted chemical and enzymatic modification strategies enabling more reproducible lignin streams are discussed alongside applications in carbon fibers, nanomaterials, adhesives, bioplastics, cementitious systems, and additive manufacturing. Quantitative benchmarking against fossil-based incumbents identifies application domains where lignin-derived materials already achieve comparable performance, as well as areas where intrinsic structural limitations remain. In parallel, catalytic depolymerization pathways toward renewable aromatic chemicals are assessed from both mechanistic and systems-level perspectives. Environmental and economic implications are critically examined using recent life-cycle and techno-economic evidence, highlighting the influence of allocation choices, energy integration, and comparison with lignin incineration for energy recovery. Overall, this review clarifies how application-targeted lignin design and system-level sustainability assessment are essential for translating lignin's biological complexity into scalable, competitive solutions for sustainable materials and chemicals.
Keywords: bioplastics, Biopolymers, carbon fibers, Circular Bioeconomy, Lignin valorization, lignin-based nanocomposites, plant biomass utilization
Received: 22 Oct 2025; Accepted: 12 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Ali, Xiong, Jiao, Schagerl, Al-Tohamy and Sun. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Sameh Samir Ali
Michael Schagerl
Jianzhong Sun
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.