Chemo-enzymatic synthesis and characterization of graft copolymers from lignin and acrylic compounds

C Mai; A Majcherczyk; A Hüttermann

doi:10.1016/s0141-0229(00)00214-3

Chemo-enzymatic synthesis and characterization of graft copolymers from lignin and acrylic compounds

Enzyme Microb Technol. 2000 Jul 1;27(1-2):167-175. doi: 10.1016/s0141-0229(00)00214-3.

Authors

C Mai¹, A Majcherczyk, A Hüttermann

Affiliation

¹ Institut für Forstbotanik, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

PMID: 10862917
DOI: 10.1016/s0141-0229(00)00214-3

Abstract

Chemo-enzymatic initiation of graft copolymerization of acrylic compounds onto different technical lignosulfonates (LS) was compared to a Fenton-like system (ferrous ion, t-BHP). The enzyme tested was a phenoloxidase laccase (EC 1.10.3.2) from the white rot basidomycete Trametes versicolor. Most applied lignins were successfully grafted, resulting in a polymer yield of more than 90%. The effect of initiator concentration and the lignin/monomer ratio on the yield and M(w) of enzymatically grafted polymers were studied. The homopolymer proportion in the enzymatically produced grafts of Ca-LS and acrylic acid was 5 to 6x lower than those initiated by the Fenton-like reagent; no such differences were observed for Na-LS.