Co-production of easily hydrolysable cellulosic substrates and UV-blocking lignin nanoparticles through "lignin-first" polyethylene glycol fractionation

作     者：Song, Guojie Hu, Wenhao Liu, Qiangqiang Deng, Zhichao Zhang, Hui Shi, Changrong Madadi, Meysam Sun, Chihe Sun, Fubao 

作者机构：Jiangnan Univ Sch Biotechnol Key Lab Ind Biotechnol MOE Wuxi 214122 Peoples R China Wuhan Inst Technol Minist Educ Sch Chem Engn & Pharm Key Lab Green Chem Proc Wuhan 430205 Peoples R China Kunming Univ Sci & Technol Fac Chem Engn Kunming 650000 Peoples R China 

出 版 物：《INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES》 (Int. J. Biol. Macromol.)

年 卷 期：2025年第316卷第Pt 1期

页      面：144709页

核心收录：

学科分类：0710[理学-生物学] 081704[工学-应用化学] 07[理学] 08[工学] 0817[工学-化学工程与技术] 070303[理学-有机化学] 0703[理学-化学] 

基　　金：National Natural Science Foundation of China [22478154, 22361142705] Joint Fund for the Regional Innovation and Development of the National Natural Science Foundation of China [U23A20135] National First-class Discipline Program of Light Industry Technology and Engineering [QGJC20230203] Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology of MOE [KLIB-KF202401] 

主　　题：Lignin-first strategy Lignin nanoparticles Structural modification 

摘      要：A novel polyethylene glycol (PEG 400)-assisted lignin-first strategy was developed to selectively fractionate sugarcane bagasse while co-producing hydrolyzable cellulosic substrates and structurally modified lignin nanoparticles (LNPs). Under mild conditions catalyzed by Lewis acid (120 degrees C and 1.5 % AlCl3), the process achieved 92 % cellulose retention, 81 % delignification, and 76 % hemicellulose removal, significantly enhancing hydrolysis efficiency to 86 %. PEG had extensive esterification or etherification modifications on the lignin aromatic monomers, as well as on its C-a position, side-chain aliphatic -OH, and phenolic -OH. PEG-modified lignin retained high beta-O-4 linkages, limited recondensation, and improved hydrophilicity, enabling the LNPs preparation with uniform and small particle sizes. Structural analyses revealed that lignin S/G ratio, beta-O-4 linkages, molecular weight, and contact angle (R-2 0.84) strongly influenced the self-assembly of LNPs. The application of LNPs has been broadened in UV-blocking materials, particularly for protecting against ultraviolet A wavelengths (320-400 nm). They demonstrated good biocompatibility, with 94 %-99 % cell viability, alongside enhanced antioxidant activities (1.25-7.6 times higher) and photostability. Adding 1 %-7 % of LNPs elevated the sun protection factor of commercial sunscreen (similar to 46) to an impressive range of 91.6-143.5. This work offers an efficient and sustainable route for co-producing fermentable sugars and functional lignin-based materials, contributing to a circular bioeconomy.