NANOSCALE MORPHOLOGY OF LIGNINS AND THEIR CHEMICAL TRANSFORMATION PRODUCTS

Reductive splitting experiments demonstrated a high degree of preserva tion of typical lignin structures in humic substances that are the maj or products of lignin environmental biodegradation. Atomic force micro scopy and scanning tunneling microscopy provided a comparative analysi s of the morphological character of lignin, lignin model compounds, an d humic substances sorbed on organic and mineral surfaces. Chemical an d morphological similarity between lignins and humic substances sugges ts the use of waste lignins as soil improvement agents.