UT and ORNL working on finding new uses for lignin

In Tennessee, researchers at UT and ORNL have focused on finding a use for lignin, which would increase the overall profitability of manufacturing biofuels and make them more attractive to producers as part of a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Genetic modification, using different chemicals, and coming up with new processing techniques are all different aspects of the research underway. The best way to understand lignin’s role might be to think of it as the substance that allows plant cells, and thus plants themselves, to hold their shape.