Effects of Cationic Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide on the Aggregation Behavior of Sodium Lignosulfonate (NaLS) in Concentrated Solutions and Preparation of Uniform Lignosulfonate-Based Colloidal Spheres

Improving mineral bioaccessibility and balancing physical stability in soymilk through bioprocessing

Phytic acid (PA) in soy foods acts as an antinutrient through chelate minerals and proteins, yet it may also contribute to system stability. To improve mineral bioaccessibility and balancing physical stability, soymilk with varied PA levels was fabricated by modulating phytase treatment (0-15 U/g). The physical properties, mineral bioaccessibility, and microrheology of soymilk were investigated. Results showed that moderate enzymolysis (retaining 65.17 % PA) increased bioaccessible calcium content by 28.61 % without stability loss, whereas complete PA removal maximized iron and zinc bioaccessibility by 43.21 % and 74.01 % but induced instability. Furthermore, PA degradation increased particle mobility in soymilk and the soluble content of α subunits and basic peptide. Spatial distribution analysis demonstrated preferential hydrolysis of free/soluble PA promoted mineral release. Negative correlations between PA distribution and bioaccessible mineral contents were established. These findings emphasise PA's dual role in balancing mineral bioaccessibility and colloidal stability, providing formulation strategies for high nutritional plant-based products.

Lignin self-assembly phenomena and valorization strategies for pulping, biorefining, and materials development: Part 2. Factors affecting the specificity of lignin self-assembly for industrial applications

This review considers a profoundly underutilized resource, technical lignin, and its potential for large scale upgrading for higher-valued industrial usage by means of self-assembly processes. Molecular interactions that can be used to guide lignin self-assembly are systematically explored, categorizing them into physicochemical interaction-driven assembly and external stimuli or template-driven assembly. Published findings are examined to reveal molecular mechanisms governing lignin aggregation into lignin nanoparticles (LNPs), films, and interfacial behavior in Pickering emulsions that have potential to be used industrially. Recent advancements in experimental techniques are explored to provide deeper insights into lignin's self-assembly processes. Hydrophobic effects, π-π stacking, hydrogen bonding, electrostatic layering, polyelectrolyte complex formation, chain entanglement, and covalent cross-linking are critically assessed as potential means to control the self-assembly of lignin and systems involving lignin. Additionally, external factors, such as chemical dehydration, solvent-mediated interactions, and external fields are examined related to their role in templating lignin assembly. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature, hydrophobic interactions are predominant in lignin aggregation, with hydrophobicity degrees varying significantly across lignin samples. Interfacial rheology studies demonstrate that lignosulfonate exhibits maximum storage moduli at oil-water interfaces, significantly enhancing emulsion stability. Additionally, modified lignins via esterification contribute larger lifetimes of water-in-oil emulsions stability under varying salinity and oil types. The integration of molecular modeling with experimental characterization techniques can further optimize lignin-based materials for multiple applications, such as drug delivery, catalysis, advanced pesticide delivery systems, bioplastics, 3D printing, and emulsification, among many others. Although there are existing technical and economic assessments (TEA) and life cycle assessments (LCA) involving lignin self-assembly that point to promising prospects, there is a need for more comprehensive TEA and LCA work to clear the way for the needed industrial innovations in this field.

Lignin self-assembly phenomena and valorization strategies for pulping, biorefining, and materials development: Part 1. The physical chemistry of lignin self-assembly

Physical chemistry aspects are emphasized in this comprehensive review of self-assembly phenomena involving lignin in various forms. Attention to this topic is justified by the very high availability, low cost, and renewable nature of lignin, together with opportunities to manufacture diverse products, for instance, polymers/resins, bioplastics, carbon fibers, bio-asphalt, sunscreen components, hydrophobic layers, and microcapsules. The colloidal lignin material, nanoparticles, and microstructures that can be formed as a result of changes in solvent properties, pH, or other adjustments to a suspending medium have been shown to depend on many factors. Such factors are examined in this work based on the concepts of self-assembly, which can be defined as an organizing principle dependent on specific attributes of the starting entities themselves. As a means to promote such concepts and to facilitate further development of nano-scale lignin products, this article draws upon evidence from a wide range of studies. These include investigations of many different plant sources of lignin, processes of delignification, solvent systems, anti-solvent systems or other means of achieving phase separation, and diverse means of achieving colloidal stability (if desired) of resulting self-assembled lignin structures. Knowledge of the self-organization behavior of lignin can provide significant structural information to optimize the use of lignin in value-added applications. Examples include chemical conditions and preparation procedures in which lignin-related compounds of particles organize themselves as spheres, hollow spheres, surface-bound layers, and a variety of other structures. Published articles show that such processes can be influenced by the selection of lignin type, pulping or extraction processes, functional groups such as phenolic, carboxyl, and sulfonate, chemical derivatization reactions, solvent applications, aqueous conditions, and physical processes, such as agitation. Precipitation from non-aqueous solutions represents a key focus of lignin self-assembly research. The review also considers stabilization mechanisms of self-assembled lignin-related structures.

Preparations of 25 wt% of Pyraclostrobin Nanosuspension Concentrate (SC) Using Lignosulfonate-Based Colloidal Spheres to Improve Its Thermal Storage Stability

Improving the thermal storage stability of nanosuspension concentrate (SC) prepared from low-melting-point pesticide is a recognized problem. In this work, using pyraclostrobin as the raw material, 25 wt% of pyraclostrobin nano-SC was prepared through a water-based grinding method, and the optimal grinding conditions were obtained as follows: a grinding time of 23 h, D-3911 as dispersant and a dispersant dosage of 12 wt%. The pyraclostrobin nano-SC D90 size prepared based on this best formula was 216 nm. Adding glycerin could improve the stability of nano-SC at room temperature, but its thermal storage stability was still poor. For this problem, sodium lignosulfonate and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (NaLS/CTAB) colloidal spheres were prepared through electrostatic and hydrophobic self-assembly and characterized. The delamination and precipitation of nano-SC can be significantly improved by adding an appropriate amount of colloidal spheres, and the nano-SC D90 size decreased from 2726 to 1023 nm after 7 days of thermal storage. Farmland experiments indicated the control efficiency of pyraclostrobin nano-SC against flowering cabbage downy mildew disease was about 30% higher than that of SC. Especially after adding the wetting agent, the effect of nano-SC could be comparable to that of commercial Kairun (currently the best pyraclostrobin formulation in the world).

Mulch from lignocellulose as agricultural plastic alternative for sustained-release of photosensitive pesticide

Extensively used agricultural mulch fabricated from nonbiodegradable polyolefin plastic causes tremendous environmental pollution. In this work, a paper-based mulch, composed of the cellulose fiber networks incorporated with Emamectin benzoate (EB)@sodium lignosulfonate (SL), has been developed with facile papermaking/coating methods. The spherical microcapsule loaded with pesticide EB has a desirable core-shell structure for better protection and sustained release of photosensitive EB. The loading rate and encapsulation efficiency reached 78.5 % and 52.3 %, respectively. Furthermore, microcapsules exhibited excellent slow-release behavior and resistance to photolysis. Natural carnauba wax was coated on the surface of the paper-based mulch to form a hydrophobic layer and increase the physical intertwinement of fibers in the mulch, thereby exhibiting superior performance, such as enhanced tensile strength, excellent hydrophobicity, high air permeability, and high light transmittance at reasonable level. Moreover, unlike conventional polyethylene mulch film, the functionalized paper-based mulch almost completely biodegraded after 75 days in the soil. Thus, multifunctional, eco-friendly mulch from lignocellulose is an innovative approach to obtaining the sustained release of agrochemicals, and it provides an excellent alternative to conventional agricultural plastic mulch.

Multilamellar spherical micelles of alkali lignin: dissipative particle dynamics simulations

CONTEXT

Lignin has an immense potential for the production of lignin-based functional materials. In this work, effect of 2-chloro-ethyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (AC)-grafted alkali lignin (AL) on the morphologies in water was investigated by dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) simulations. The results showed that AL molecules formed spherical micelles, but the corresponding phenylpropane units of AL were randomly distributed in spherical micelles. However, AC-grafted modification of phenolic hydroxyl groups in AL led to the formation of multilamellar spherical micelles. The formation of multilamellar spherical micelles of AL mainly went through four stages: small clusters, larger aggregates with a core-shell structure, trilaminar, and multilamellar spherical micelles. AL molecules resulted in dimethomorph molecules being randomly distributed in the spherical micelle, while the dimethomorph molecules were perfectly entrapped into the spherical micelles of AC-grafted AL. Various molecular weights of AL had no effect on the formation and size of multilamellar spherical micelles. With increasing the content of AC-grafted AL, small clusters, multilamellar spherical micelles, tube-like, and lamellar aggregates were observed successively. This work highlights the potential of lignin to prepare monodispersed lignin-based functional colloidal spheres.

METHODS

Coarse-grained beads were performed energy minimization, geometric optimization, NPT ensemble (298 K and 1.0 bar), and NVT ensemble (298 K) calculations. DPD simulations were carried out at 300,000 steps in a 30×30×30 Rc³ cubic box with Materials Studio 7.0 program.

Evaluating Release Kinetics from Alginate Beads Coated with Polyelectrolyte Layers for Sustained Drug Delivery

Current approaches in stem cell-based bone tissue engineering require a release of bioactive compounds over up to 2 weeks. This study presents a polyelectrolyte-layered system featuring sustained release of water-soluble drugs with decreased burst release. The bioactive compounds adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), suramin, and A740003 (a less water-soluble purinergic receptor ligand) were incorporated into alginate hydrogel beads subsequently layered with different polyelectrolytes (chitosan, poly(allyl amine), alginate, or lignosulfonate). Drug release into aqueous medium was monitored over 14 days and evaluated using Korsmeyer-Peppas, Peppas-Sahlin, Weibull models, and a Langmuir-like "Two-Stage" model. Release kinetics strongly depended on both the drug and the polyelectrolyte system. For ATP, five alternating layers of poly(allyl amine) and alginate proved to be most effective in sustaining the release. Release of suramin could be prolonged best with lignosulfonate as polyanion. A740003 showed prolonged release even without layering. Applying polyelectrolyte layers significantly slowed down the burst release. Release curves could be best described with the Langmuir-like model.

Lignin-Based Nanoparticles: A Review on Their Preparations and Applications

Lignin is the most abundant by-product from the pulp and paper industry as well as the second most abundant natural renewable biopolymer after cellulose on earth. In recent years, transforming unordered and complicated lignin into ordered and uniform nanoparticles has attracted wide attention due to their excellent properties such as controlled structures and sizes, better miscibility with polymers, and improved antioxidant activity. In this review, we first introduce five important technical lignin from different sources and then provide a comprehensive overview of the recent progress of preparation techniques which are involved in the fabrication of various lignin-based nanoparticles and their industrial applications in different fields such as drug delivery carriers, UV absorbents, hybrid nanocomposites, antioxidant agents, antibacterial agents, adsorbents for heavy metal ions and dyes, and anticorrosion nanofillers.