Engineering Commons^™

Characterizing And Predicting The Antimicrobial Properties Of Lignin Derivatives, Ryan Kalinoski

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Due to the overuse of antibiotics in our society, there has been a steady rise in highly antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in the last decade. This has created a renewed interest in natural phenolic compounds for antimicrobial discovery amongst the scientific community. To this end, lignin is the most abundant naturally occurring phenolic polymer on earth and has already been known to have antimicrobial properties due to its polyphenolic structure. In addition, lignin is considered a major waste product for lignocellulosic biorefineries, and its valorization into value-added products will generate extra profit for a biorefinery, making biofuels less expensive, increasing their marketability …