A method of making a carbon fiber comprising esterification of a lignin precursor with an acid, acid anhydride, or acyl halide, thereby forming a reduced T.sub.g lignin. Mixing the reduced T.sub.g lignin with a carbon residue selected from the group of coal based raw material, petroleum based raw material and combinations thereof, thereby forming a fiber precursor mixture; and spinning the fiber precursor mixture into a fiber. A method of making a carbon fiber comprising esterification of a lignin with an acid derivative, thereby forming a reduced T.sub.g lignin. Mixing the reduced T.sub.g lignin with a pitch, thereby forming a fiber precursor mixture; and spinning the fiber precursor mixture into a fiber. A method of making a carbon fiber comprising lowering the T.sub.g of a lignin material, thereby forming a reduced T.sub.g lignin. Mixing the reduced T.sub.g lignin with a carbon residue, thereby forming a fiber precursor mixture and spinning the fiber precursor mixture into a fiber.

A lignin derivative that is extracted from biomass and is used for rubber reinforcement or for use in a molding material is provided. Such a lignin derivative has a number average molecular weight of 300 to 2,000, and contains a component that is soluble in a polar organic solvent, in an amount of 80% by mass or more. When such a lignin derivative is incorporated, a lignin resin composition, a rubber composition, or a molding material, all of which have excellent low hysteresis loss characteristics, elastic modulus, or tensile properties, can be obtained. Furthermore, when a component that is thermofusible is used as the soluble component, a lignin resin composition, a rubber composition, or a molding material, all of which have superior aforementioned characteristics, can be obtained.

A lignin derivative that is extracted from biomass and is used for rubber reinforcement or for use in a molding material is provided. Such a lignin derivative has a number average molecular weight of 300 to 2,000, and contains a component that is soluble in a polar organic solvent, in an amount of 80% by mass or more. When such a lignin derivative is incorporated, a lignin resin composition, a rubber composition, or a molding material, all of which have excellent low hysteresis loss characteristics, elastic modulus, or tensile properties, can be obtained. Furthermore, when a component that is thermofusible is used as the soluble component, a lignin resin composition, a rubber composition, or a molding material, all of which have superior aforementioned characteristics, can be obtained.

A rigid polyurethane foam which is a polymerization product of a composition including a concentrated acid hydrolytic lignin, a polyol, and an isocyanate, and a method of preparing the rigid polyurethane foam.

A nanostructured porous catalyst for rubber vulcanization, the catalyst comprising a high surface area.

The invention provides protein adhesives and methods of making and using such adhesives. One type of protein adhesive described herein contains lignin and ground plant meal or an isolated polypeptide composition obtained from plant biomass. Other types of protein adhesives described herein contain a plant protein composition and either a hydroxyaromatic/aldehyde, urea/aldehyde, or amine/aldehyde component.

The present invention relates to a rubber composition for a tire, which includes 100 parts by weight of raw material rubber, 1 to 20 parts by weight of a lignin-based antioxidant, and 0.1 to 3 parts by weight of a crosslinking agent.

Adhesive compositions containing (1) one or two adhesive compositions produced from the fruit but not the seeds of Osage orange fruit and (2) a known adhesive. The one or two adhesive compositions produced from the fruit but not the seeds of Osage orange fruit are produced by a process involving drying the cut peel and mesocarp but not the seeds of the fruit of Osage orange to produce dried peel and mesocarp, milling the dried peel and mesocarp to produce milled peel and mesocarp, extracting the milled peel and mesocarp with an organic solvent (e.g., hexane) or a polar aprotic solvent (e.g., ethyl acetate) to produce the first adhesive composition, and optionally wherein the amorphous layer between the polar aprotic solvent and the milled peel and mesocarp is the second adhesive composition.

Adhesive compositions containing (1) one or two adhesive compositions produced from the fruit but not the seeds of Osage orange fruit and (2) a known adhesive. The one or two adhesive compositions produced from the fruit but not the seeds of Osage orange fruit are produced by a process involving drying the cut peel and mesocarp but not the seeds of the fruit of Osage orange to produce dried peel and mesocarp, milling the dried peel and mesocarp to produce milled peel and mesocarp, extracting the milled peel and mesocarp with an organic solvent (e.g., hexane) or a polar aprotic solvent (e.g., ethyl acetate) to produce the first adhesive composition, and optionally wherein the amorphous layer between the polar aprotic solvent and the milled peel and mesocarp is the second adhesive composition.

A composite material includes biodegradable and/or renewable materials such as purified milk protein recovered as a byproduct in cheese making processes. The result is a material suitable for three-dimensional (3D) printing and extrusion based polymer processing, with improved properties but that is still environmentally friendly. Purified milk protein may be used to produce composite thermoplastic materials or resins. Additional chemical modification may improve the blending of purified milk protein.