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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Chem.
Sec. Green and Sustainable Chemistry
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fchem.2025.1555202
This article is part of the Research Topic Renewable Chemistry View all 5 articles

Exploring tannin structures to enhance enzymatic polymerization

Provisionally accepted
Romina Patricia Romero Carrillo Romina Patricia Romero Carrillo 1*Tihare del Pilar Gonzalez Tihare del Pilar Gonzalez 1Bruno F Urbano Bruno F Urbano 1Cristina Del Carmen Segura Cristina Del Carmen Segura 1Alessandro Pellis Alessandro Pellis 2Myleidi Vera Myleidi Vera 1*
  • 1 University of Concepcion, Concepción, Chile
  • 2 Università degli Studi di Genova, Genova, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The valorization of biomass through enzymatic polymerization offers a sustainable approach to producing polyphenols from renewable sources. However, the structural diversity and incomplete characterization of tannins often challenge the process. This study investigates how tannin structure and various phenolic and non-phenolic compounds incorporated in the aqueous tannin extracts influence laccase-catalyzed polymerization and affect the thermal and structural properties of the final material. Aqueous extracts from Pinus radiata bark were extensively characterized using proximate and ultimate analysis, Py-GC/MS, FT-IR, TGA, and phenol content analysis. The extracts were then polymerized using Myceliophthora thermophila laccase (MtL). A comprehensive analysis of the resulting polymers and oligomers revealed significant structural transformations driven by enzymatic oxidation. Notably, tannin extracts rich in resorcinol and low in carbohydrates produced highly cross-linked polymers with exceptional thermal stability, retaining 86% residual mass at 550 °C. These findings underscore the potential of such polymers for advanced applications, including flame retardancy, highlighting a promising pathway for the sustainable utilization of bioresources.

    Keywords: Tannins, enzymatic polymerization, Laccase, Py-GC/MS, Pine bark

    Received: 03 Jan 2025; Accepted: 05 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Romero Carrillo, Gonzalez, Urbano, Segura, Pellis and Vera. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Romina Patricia Romero Carrillo, University of Concepcion, Concepción, Chile
    Myleidi Vera, University of Concepcion, Concepción, Chile

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