This review covers the state-of-the-art in the production of lignin-based carbon adsorbents for CO ₂ capture, discussing lignin chemistry and properties, traditional synthesis approaches to emerging methods, and fundamentals for rational design.

The development of new approaches for pesticide delivery is a most relevant subject in the area of crop protection, which typically involves relatively high pesticide dosing combined with low deposition and limited biosafety. Herein, we investigate a pesticide carrier system based on plant-derived, eco-friendly cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) modified with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and tannic acid (TA). A broad-spectrum and widely used pesticide, fenitrothion (XCM), was shown to bind to the carrier through hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions and Cu²⁺ coordination, enabling pH-controlled delivery. The high axial aspect of CNCs and surface features endowed by β-CD binding facilitated contact and enhanced the deposition efficiency on the foliage. The tannic acid further improved wetting, adhesion and retention on leaves (1.8-fold higher than TA-free systems). The bioactivity tests showed efficient antifungal (74%) and insecticidal (97%) effects along with excellent biosafety, highlighting the introduced carrier for its promise in the area of pesticide delivery.

The lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs) typically present in the liquors produced in the pre-hydrolysis of biomass cause severe difficulties in downstream fractionation. To address this issue, a series of LCC samples were accessed from solutions obtained from the pre-hydrolysis of extractive-free pine wood meal (H-LCC) and compared with LCC obtained from the corresponding residues (B-LCC). Chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques revealed that 8.2% of the lignins were degraded at 160 °C, resulting from the breakage of β-O-4' linkages during pre-hydrolysis. Meanwhile, (reactive) hemicelluloses were mainly removed from the fibers' cell walls. Some hemicelluloses in the pre-hydrolysis liquor, such as glucomannans, were associated with degraded lignin fragments via ether and ester bonds. However, the newly formed LCCs were pH-labile and underwent rapid hydrolysis. Overall, we reveal details about LCC formation and degradation during pre-hydrolysis at given temperatures, critically important in efforts to improve biomass processing and valorization.

Upgrading lignin particles with controlled morphology and amphiphilicity to investigate the stabilization mechanism in Pickering systems is reported.

Control over particle size and shape heterogeneity is highly relevant to the design of photonic coatings and supracolloidal assemblies. Most developments in the area have relied on mineral and petroleum‐derived polymers that achieve well‐defined chemical and dimensional characteristics. Unfortunately, it is challenging to attain such control when considering renewable nanoparticles. Herein, a pathway toward selectable biobased particle size and physicochemical profiles is proposed. Specifically, lignin is fractionated, a widely available heterogeneous polymer that can be dissolved in aqueous solution, to obtain a variety of monodispersed particle fractions. A two‐stage cascade and density gradient centrifugation that relieves the need for solvent pre‐extraction or other pretreatments but achieves particle bins of uniform size (~60 to 860 nm and polydispersity, PDI<0.06, dynamic light scattering) along with characteristic surface chemical features is introduced. It is found that the properties and associated colloidal behavior of the particles are suitably classified in distinctive size populations, namely, i) nanoscale (50–100 nm), ii) photonic (100–300 nm) and iii) near‐micron (300–1000 nm). The strong correlation that exists between size and physicochemical characteristics (molar mass, surface charge, bonding and functional groups, among others) is introduced as a powerful pathway to identify nanotechnological uses that benefit from the functionality and cost‐effectiveness of biogenic particles.