Unlocking Lignocellulosic Biomass for Lignin-based Drug Intermediates and FDCA Production

We aim to produce two high-value, high-impact compounds—lignin–deferoxamine drug moiety and FDCA— from waste lignocellulosic biomass generated in millions of tonnes in Estonia. This is achieved by the separation of structurally and functionally intact lignin and cellulose using a novel integrated pre-treatment comprising of nitrogen explosive decompression and ionic liquids. Ensuring maximal resource use, fractionated lignin is then esterified with deferoxamine, an iron chelating drug used in cancer therapy, to improve its half-life, whereas cellulose is converted to FDCA, a platform chemical used for the synthesis of PEF, a bioplastic, in a one-pot, green synthesis. The efficiency of the drug moiety will be confirmed via in vitro and in vivo models. Ensuring direct industrial transferability of the results, robust technical and impact assessments are included. This is a vital step towards decoupling industrial production from fossil resources, in a green, sustainable, circular way.