The market is in great need of more environmentally friendly alternatives to fossil-based composite materials to obtain a more sustainable future. Lignin is the second most common biopolymer and is a byproduct in the pulping and paper industry. Fractionation of lignin has made it possible to receive lignin with narrow dispersity and low molecular weight, which is suitable for further applications. Modification of lignin structure yields new reactive sites that can be tailored for specific needs. Because of the aromatic structure of lignin, it is a promising renewable resource for production of thermosets. In this project Kraft lignin is sequentially solvent-fractionated and modified in an allylation process with allyl chloride. The allylated lignin is reacted with a cross-linking agent and used to impregnate carbon fibre mats. The resin-coated material is then cured at 125 oC to achieve a composite material. The project also encompasses characterization of the chemical structure of lignin in the different fractions. The morphology and adhesive properties of the lignin as well as the carbon fibres and the composite material was investigated. Although the production of composite material from lignin and carbon fibres were accomplished, bubble formation in the resin was a problem for all composite samples that were prepared, whether it was during solvent evaporation or during curing. By performing the addition of resin to carbon fibre mats in multiple steps, where pressure is added after the first applied layer, it is suggested that complete adhesion to the carbon fibre can be achieved, whilst maintaining adequate resin to carbon fibre ratio. / Marknaden är i stort behov av mer miljövänliga alternativ till fossilbaserade kompositmaterial för att kunna erhålla en mer hållbar framtid. Lignin är den näst vanligaste aromatiska biopolymeren och framställs som en biprodukt i pappersindustrin. Fraktionering av lignin har gjort det möjligt att erhålla lignin med låg dispersitet och molekylvikt vilket är lämpligt för vidare applikationer. Modifiering av lignins struktur ger upphov till nya reaktiva grupper som kan anpassas för ens behov. Den aromatiska strukturen som lignin besitter resulterar i en lovande förnybar resurs för produktion av härdplast. I detta projekt är Kraft lignin sekventiellt fraktionerat med lösningsmedel och modifierat med hjälp av en allyleringsprocess i närvaro av allylklorid. Det allylerade ligninet reagerar med en tvärbindare och används vidare för att impregnera kolfiber. De impregnerade kolfibermattorna härdades i ugn vid 125 oC för att erhålla kompositmaterial. Projektet omfattar även karaktärisering av den kemiska strukturen i lignin från de olika fraktionerna. Morfologin och vidhäftningsförmåga av lignin, kolfiber och likaså kompositmaterialet undersöktes. Ett kompositmaterial bestående av kolfiber och lignin erhölls med framgång under projektets gång, dock var bubbelbildning ett stort problem under förångningen av lösningsmedel och även under härdningsprocessen. Addition av harts till kolfibermattorna i flera steg, där tryck är adderat efter det första lagret har blivit applicerat, anses vara en lovande metod för att en hög vidhäftningsgrad ska kunna erhållas. Detta medan ett adekvat förhållande mellan harts och kolfiber upprätthålls.

There is growing demand for a more efficient use of polymers that originate from renewable feedstocks due to the depleting supply of fossil fuels, based on economic and environmental reasons. As a result, lignin has attracted renewed interest as a resource for various bioproducts. Lignin is a natural biopolymer with a high carbon content and is composed of aromatic moieties, with a high level of polar functionalities. This makes it a unique precursor for certain high-value applications, such as in biofuels, bioplastics, composite materials, carbon fibers and activated carbons and as a source of phenolic monomers and fine chemicals. Industrial lignins are formed as byproducts of pulping processes (such as kraft, sulfite or alkaline pulping) or result from the biorefining process, where carbohydrates are used for sugar production. Lignin’s intrinsic structure is significantly modified during the processing of lignocellulose, resulting in the formation of more diverse, condensed and less reactive raw materials. Since molecular mass and polydispersity are the most important parameters affecting the chemical reactivity and thermal properties of lignin, additional process steps to improve the quality of crude technical lignins, including kraft lignin, are needed. Solvent extraction is a potentially useful technique for further improving the polydispersity of technical lignins. This work summarizes the impact of solvent fractionation on the chemical structure, antioxidant activity, heating value, and thermal and sorption properties of industrial hardwood and softwood kraft lignins. The purpose was to understand the correlation between certain structural features in the lignin fractions and their properties to select the appropriate solvent combinations for specific applications of lignin raw materials. Four common industrial solvents, namely, ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol and acetone, in various combinations were used to separate both spruce and eucalyptus kraft lignins into fractions with lower polydispersities. Gel-permeation chromatography analysis was used to evaluate the efficiency of the chosen solvent combination for lignin fractionation. The composition and structure of the lignin material were characterized by elemental analysis, analytical pyrolysis (Py-GC/MS/FID) and 31P NMR spectroscopy. The thermal properties of the lignin samples were studied by thermogravimetric analysis. Proximate analysis data (ash, volatile components, organic matter and fixed carbon) were obtained through the direct measurement of weight changes during the analysis, while the high heating values (in MJ/kg) were calculated according to equations suggested in the literature. The sorption properties of fractionated kraft lignins were studied with respect to methylene blue dye. Additionally, lignin fractions with different molecular weights (and therefore various chemical structures) that were isolated from both softwood and hardwood kraft lignins were incorporated into a tunicate cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-starch mixture to prepare 100% bio-based composite films. The aim was to investigate the correlation between lignin diversity and film performance. The transmittance, density and thermal properties of the films were investigated, as were their mechanical properties, including the tensile stress and Young’s modulus. This part of the study addressed the importance of lignin diversity on composite film performance, which could be helpful for tailoring lignin applications in bio-based composite materials based on the material’s specific requirements.