Commercial Viability of Biomass Derived Lignin in the Resin and Carbon Fiber Industries

Plant biomass is a sustainable energy source that can be used directly, or converted into other compounds like carbon fiber and resins. The full potential of plant biomass is difficult to exploit as up to 30% of the biomass consists of the complex compound lignin, which is difficult to degrade efficiently. Drs Eltis and Bugg have found that by manipulating the bacterium Rhodococcus jostii they are able to extract useful lignin-based polymers. To operate at an industrial level the technology must overcome scalability and efficiency issues; this should be achievable if enough resources are committed to developing the technology. Analysis of the technologies’ commercial viability indicates that there are markets that can exploit the sustainability of technology in the resin and carbon fiber industries. Successful commercialization appears to be dependent on socio-political factors that drive the development and adoption of this sustainable technology.