Current Perspectives on the Applicability of Lignin Material in the Biosorption Process

Generally, cheap and environmentally friendly biosorbent materials attract the attention of researchers and become the focus of research. Cellulose and hemicellulose come to the fore among biosorbent materials in biosorption processes. However, lignin is also a very abundant and underutilized biopolymer resource that can be preferred for biosorbent production. Lignin is an amorphous phenolic biopolymer with a structurally three-dimensional branched network structure. This biopolymer has advantages such as being available in large quantities, as well as high selectivity and sorption capacity. However, one of the biggest disadvantages is that lignin exhibits a heterogeneous structure for the balanced production of biosorbents. The structural behavior of lignin depends largely on the source and the processing conditions from which it is isolated. Today, although the use of lignin-based biosorbents is increasing, only 5% of the available lignin globally is used. This review summarized the world’s current trends, perspectives, and recent developments in lignin-based biosorbents in terms of all properties of lignin.