{
  "abstract": "Efficiently converting low-grade heat (<100 °C) into electricity remains a significant challenge. Moreover, most widely studied thermogalvanic electrolytes rely on redox couples containing toxic metal elements, which poses serious obstacles to developing non-toxic and environmentally sustainable energy conversion technologies. Herein, we present a high-performance thermogalvanic system which employs biobased sulfonated lignin (LS), a major component in paper industry black liquor and ammonium persulfate (APS) as the redox couple. Driven by quinone/hydroquinone redox reactions under a thermal gradient, the liquid electrolyte can convert heat into electricity with a Seebeck coefficient of 2.92 mV/K. Furthermore, the quasi-solid LS-APS-KOH/Poly(vinyl alcohol) (LSAK/PVA) gel prepared from gelation of such electrolyte with PVA further enhances the Seebeck coefficient to 4.3 mV/K, leading to an output power density of 976 µW/(m 2 ·K 2 ). Notably, by exploiting the intrinsic photothermal property of lignin, we demonstrate an integrated photo-thermo-electric conversion system on a unified material platform centered on lignin, opening new avenues for direct solar energy harvesting. This study establishes a novel “waste-to-energy” paradigm by valorizing industrial black liquor for advanced energy applications.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China",
    "College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; Corresponding authors.",
    "College of Materials Engineering, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; Key Laboratory of High Performance Fibers & Products, Ministry of Education, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China; Corresponding authors."
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Hanlei Yan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mengyu Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jialin Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Mengfan Yang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Li Shuai"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Zhuotong Wu"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/961zw7296pm3v.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100304",
  "fulltext_url": "http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2369969826000769",
  "id": "961zw7296pm3v",
  "issns": [
    "2369-9698"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100304",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "QD415-436"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2505|Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214939757",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2369969826000769/pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-25",
  "publisher": "KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/961zw7296pm3v.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T13:44:53Z",
      "native_id": "3f5db38766954d8098f5eca6ed679331",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100304"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2505|Advanced Thermoelectric Materials and Devices",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Upcycling papermaking waste into thermo-galvanic gel for harvesting waste heat and sunlight",
  "title_text": "Upcycling papermaking waste into thermo-galvanic gel for harvesting waste heat and sunlight",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T13:44:53Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/961zw7296pm3v",
  "venue": "Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts",
  "versions": []
}