The Impact of Lignin Content on the Biodegradation of Virgin Paper Pulps in Soil and Marine Environment
Paper pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material used in the industrial production of paper and board products. In addition to cellulose and hemicellulose, paper pulp contains 1 to 20% lignin, depending on the raw materials and pulping process used. Lignin is a heterogenous aromatic polymer that is...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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North Carolina State University
2024-02-01
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| Series: | BioResources |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu/index.php/BRJ/article/view/23227 |
| _version_ | 1827323819493163008 |
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| author | Minna Vikman Atte Mikkelson Hille Rautkoski |
| author_facet | Minna Vikman Atte Mikkelson Hille Rautkoski |
| author_sort | Minna Vikman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Paper pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material used in the industrial production of paper and board products. In addition to cellulose and hemicellulose, paper pulp contains 1 to 20% lignin, depending on the raw materials and pulping process used. Lignin is a heterogenous aromatic polymer that is hydrophobic and more resistant to microbial degradation compared to the easily biodegradable cellulose and hemicellulose. In this study, the biodegradation of paper pulps containing varying amounts of lignin was examined in soil and marine environments using ISO testing methods. Lignin significantly reduced the mineralization of paper pulps to CO2 in both environmental conditions, and a strong inverse correlation between lignin content and the mineralization to CO2 was observed. A similar impact was observed with natural materials containing lignin, such as birch sawdust. Since the calculation of biodegradability in most ISO and EN standards is based solely on the concept of mineralization to CO2, materials containing lignin can receive poor values in these tests. The implications of this for standardized requirements of biodegradability and possible options to overcome testing deficiencies are discussed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:59:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-8fd29a73ec9c4505bccddc78662c4a63 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1930-2126 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:59:42Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | North Carolina State University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BioResources |
| spelling | doaj.art-8fd29a73ec9c4505bccddc78662c4a632024-03-07T15:16:39ZengNorth Carolina State UniversityBioResources1930-21262024-02-01192245224651553The Impact of Lignin Content on the Biodegradation of Virgin Paper Pulps in Soil and Marine EnvironmentMinna Vikman0Atte Mikkelson1Hille Rautkoski2VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, FinlandVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, FinlandVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O. Box 1000, 02044 VTT, FinlandPaper pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material used in the industrial production of paper and board products. In addition to cellulose and hemicellulose, paper pulp contains 1 to 20% lignin, depending on the raw materials and pulping process used. Lignin is a heterogenous aromatic polymer that is hydrophobic and more resistant to microbial degradation compared to the easily biodegradable cellulose and hemicellulose. In this study, the biodegradation of paper pulps containing varying amounts of lignin was examined in soil and marine environments using ISO testing methods. Lignin significantly reduced the mineralization of paper pulps to CO2 in both environmental conditions, and a strong inverse correlation between lignin content and the mineralization to CO2 was observed. A similar impact was observed with natural materials containing lignin, such as birch sawdust. Since the calculation of biodegradability in most ISO and EN standards is based solely on the concept of mineralization to CO2, materials containing lignin can receive poor values in these tests. The implications of this for standardized requirements of biodegradability and possible options to overcome testing deficiencies are discussed.https://ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu/index.php/BRJ/article/view/23227biodegradationmineralizationligninpaper pulp |
| spellingShingle | Minna Vikman Atte Mikkelson Hille Rautkoski The Impact of Lignin Content on the Biodegradation of Virgin Paper Pulps in Soil and Marine Environment BioResources biodegradation mineralization lignin paper pulp |
| title | The Impact of Lignin Content on the Biodegradation of Virgin Paper Pulps in Soil and Marine Environment |
| title_full | The Impact of Lignin Content on the Biodegradation of Virgin Paper Pulps in Soil and Marine Environment |
| title_fullStr | The Impact of Lignin Content on the Biodegradation of Virgin Paper Pulps in Soil and Marine Environment |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Impact of Lignin Content on the Biodegradation of Virgin Paper Pulps in Soil and Marine Environment |
| title_short | The Impact of Lignin Content on the Biodegradation of Virgin Paper Pulps in Soil and Marine Environment |
| title_sort | impact of lignin content on the biodegradation of virgin paper pulps in soil and marine environment |
| topic | biodegradation mineralization lignin paper pulp |
| url | https://ojs.cnr.ncsu.edu/index.php/BRJ/article/view/23227 |
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