Tunable Boc Modification of Lignin and Its Impact on Microbial Degradation Rate

A new type of modified lignin, lignin-p-Boc, was obtained through reaction with di-tert-butyl dicarbonate in aqueous media. Boc modification occurred regardless of types of lignin, was tunable, and proceeded well in recovering lignin at high purity from sodium lignosulfonate (a common byproduct from pulping industry). Lignin-p-BOC was demonstrated as a potential reactive filler in green plastic. Furthermore, the effects of the modification on the breakdown rate of alkali lignin by microbial was investigated, and the results showed that the modification obviously decreased the breakdown rate.