Project description
Turning waste lignin into valuable products
Lignin is a naturally occurring material which gives trees structural support and helps them build resistance to biochemical degradation. The forest industry currently burns the majority of lignin in their energy and chemical recovery processes. Funded by the European Research Council, the CIRCULIG project aims to use lignin as a building block for materials that can be recycled, thereby extending the life cycle of forest products. Researchers will investigate new synthesis and assembly approaches to overcome obstacles to lignin use, focusing on improving solvent stability and functionality of lignin nanoparticles, and generating lignin fibres incorporating inorganic and metal nanoparticles. CIRCULIG will open new frontiers for sustainable lignin-based materials that can be recycled, which combine functionality and design.
Objective
Lignin is a natures wonder material that allows trees to grow vertically and have strong and biochemically resistant structures. However, the majority of lignin is burned in the forest industry. The objective is to make a paradigm shift in the use of lignin by developing circular lignin materials with functionalities arising from well-defined nanostructures. This project faces two outstanding challenges. The first relates to overcoming the instability of lignin nanoparticles in organic solvents and under alkaline conditions, which currently restricts synthesis of advanced lignin materials. The second is to develop lignin nanoparticles and lignin fibres structurally incorporating inorganic and metal nanoparticles. By overcoming these obstacles, we will have functional lignin building blocks for circular vitrimer adhesives, electrochemical catalysts, magnetically responsive nanocomposite gels, and colloidal crystals. Synthesis and assembly of these materials requires considerable contributions to method development that will open wholly new frontiers for sustainable lignin materials. Far-reaching implications beyond materials science include excellent opportunities for interdisciplinary studies across environmental sciences, chemical and process engineering, and life sciences.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences chemical sciences catalysis
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
10691 Stockholm
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.