RT Journal Article
T1 Valorization of Kraft Lignins from Different Poplar Genotypes as Vegetable Oil Structuring Agents via Electrospinning for Biolubricant Applications
A1 Rubio Valle, José Fernando
A1 Valencia Barragán, Concepción
A1 Sánchez Carrillo, María Carmen
A1 Martín Alfonso, José Enrique
A1 Franco Gómez, José María
AB This work explores the use of Kraft lignins sourced from different poplar genotypes (Populus alba L. “PO-10-10-20” and Populus × canadensis “Ballotino”) isolated by selective acid precipitation (at pHs 5 and 2.5) to produce electrospun nanostructures that can be further employed for structuring vegetable oils. This approach offers a new avenue for converting these waste materials into high-value-added ingredients of eco-friendly structured lubricants. Electrospinning of poplar Kraft lignin (PKL)/cellulose acetate (CA) solutions yielded homogeneous beaded nanofiber mats that were able to generate stable dispersions when they were blended with different vegetable oils (castor, soybean, and high-oleic sunflower oils). Electrospun PKL/CA nanofiber mats with larger average fiber diameters were achieved using the lignins isolated at pH 5. Dispersions of PKL/CA nanofibers in vegetable oils presented gel-like viscoelastic characteristics and shear-thinning flow behavior, which slightly differ depending on the nanofiber morphological properties and can be tuned by selecting the poplar lignin genotype and precipitation pH. The rheological properties and tribological performance of PKL/CA nanofibers suitably dispersed in vegetable oils were found to be comparable to those obtained for conventional lubricating greases. Additionally, lignin nanofibers confer suitable oxidative stability to the ultimate formulations to different extents depending on the vegetable oil used. 
PB American Chemical Society (ACS)
SN 2168-0485 (electrónico)
YR 2024
FD 2024-07
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10272/24683
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10272/24683
LA eng
NO Rubio-Valle, J. F., Valencia, C., Sánchez-Carrillo, M. C., Martín-Alfonso, J. E., & Franco, J. M. (2024). Valorization of Kraft Lignins from Different Poplar Genotypes as Vegetable Oil Structuring Agents via Electrospinning for Biolubricant Applications. In ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering (Vol. 12, Issue 32, pp. 12260–12269). American Chemical Society (ACS). https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.4c05013
NO This work is part of a research project (PID2021-125637OBI00) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. J.F. Rubio-Valle has also received a Ph.D. Research Grant PRE2019-090632 from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain). The financial support is gratefully acknowledged. Open Access funding provided by Universidad de Huelva / CBUA, thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with ACS. 
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Huelva
RD 30 may 2026