Research Projects

Lignocellulosic biomass, consisting of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, has gained increasing research interest for large-scale and cost-effective production of high-value fine chemicals in lignocellulosic biorefinery (LCB). However, the complex macromolecular structure of lignin makes it challenging to extract, solubilize, and transform it for high value applications through physico/thermal pre-treatments followed by catalytic reactions. Chemical catalytic mechanisms have shown little success due to their inherent disadvantages, such as the use of harsh chemicals, high energy costs, and formation of undesirable intermediates. Enzyme catalysis can overcome these issues by allowing selective lignin degradation using selective reaction pathways, minimizing intermediate formation and energy costs, and replacing the use of high concentrated acids and solvents. The biorefinery industry faces issues such as low productivity of lignin degrading/modifying enzymes, loss of enzyme activity and stability in broader operating conditions, and a lack of research gap in understanding solvent effects on enzyme kinetics. This project aims to develop a multienzyme process for delignification and lignin valorisation and unit operation for fractionation of technical lignin products. This process development in lignin biorefinery, using LME and LDE without physico-chemical pretreatments, will pave the way to tailor lignin-based materials toward high value-added polymer products and extend the hydrolysis of cellulose and hemicellulose from agroresidues.