3. Prospects for vanillin use

Vanillin is currently one of the only molecular phenolic compounds manufactured on an industrial scale from biomass. It therefore has the potential to become a key intermediate for the synthesis of biobased polymers, for which aromatic monomers are required to achieve good thermomechanical properties. The volume of research carried out on the subject of vanillin production from lignin proves the industrial interest of this approach. The fact that the raw material is biosourced, that the price of oil is volatile and the improvements achieved in terms of understanding mechanisms, productivity and waste reduction make vanillin production increasingly attractive from every point of view.

However, the current market for vanillin as a flavor and fragrance is mature and dominated by the low-priced ($10/kg), petroleum-based vanillin. Only new markets can stimulate large-scale...