Conversion of lignin, a common waste product, has potential to increase production of US biofuels.
The US Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 mandates the development of 79 billion litres of second-generation biofuels annually by 2022. As a result, approximately 56 million tonnes of lignin, and organic polymer that makes plants woody and rigid and a common by-product of the ethanol production process, will be produced annually as well.