Native lignin extraction from soft- and hardwood by green and benign sub/supercritical fluid extraction methodologies

Lignin constitutes an impressive resource of high-value low molecular weight compounds. However, robust methods for isolation of the extractable fraction from lignocellulose are yet to be established. In this study, supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and CO2-expanded liquid extraction (CXLE) were employed to extract lignin from softwood and hardwood chips. Ethanol, acetone, and ethyl lactate were investigated as green organic co-solvents in the extractions. Additionally, the effects of temperature, CO2 percentage and the water content of the co-solvent were investigated using a design of experiment approach employing full factorial designs. Ethyl lactate and acetone provided the highest gravimetric yields. The water content in the extraction mixture had the main impact on the amount of extractable lignin monomers (LMs) and lignin oligomers (LOs) while the type of organic solvent was of minor importance. The most effective extraction was achieved by using a combination of liquid CO2/acetone/water (10/72/18, v/v/v) at 60 °C, 350 bar, 30 min and 2 mL min−1 flow rate. The optimized method provided detection of 13 LMs and 6 lignin dimers (LDs) from the hardwood chips. The results demonstrate the potential of supercritical fluids and green solvents in the field of mild and bening lignin extraction from wood.