The Potential of Lignins as Multifunctional Additives

Lignins are phenolic polymers that reinforce plant cell walls within the conductive and supporting tissues of higher plants. They are generated as by-products through chemical pulp processes and biorefinery pretreatments for bioethanol production. After a brief description of constitutive monomeric subunits, their inter-units linkages and functional groups, this chapter highlights their multifunctional properties of interest for packaging, mainly their ability to scavenge free radicals from the environment, in liquid media or in polymeric matrices (PLA, cellulose nanocomposites). New developments combining fractionation, depolymerization and conversion make them good candidates for the development of biobased packaging materials.