We are delighted to share that our latest article titled “A quantitative approach to determine water and moisture content of different types of lignin using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy combined with partial least squares regression” has been published in the journal of Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining (Volume 20, 2026). The article was authored by Shrikant Shivaji Pawade, together with Dr Martin Vilbaste, Andres Siiman, Dr Lauri Toom, Associate Professor Koit Herodes, and Professor Ivo Leito. The article is Open Access and available online; click here to access it.

The study presents a quantitative methodology for determining water and moisture content in diverse lignin types using ATR-FTIR spectroscopy combined with partial least squares regression, with vapourisation–coulometric Karl Fischer titration (vap-C-KFT) and gravimetric methods used as reference techniques. In addition, the work introduces a sigmoid curve approach to temperature optimisation for vap-C-KFT and evaluates sampling and modelling uncertainties, thereby providing practical insights for reliable lignin characterisation. The robustness of the method was assessed by validation against vap-C-KFT, oven drying (7 h and 48 h), and freeze-drying, utilising diverse lignin types (Kraft, Dealkaline, and Lignova Fibenol) and achieving RMSEP values ranging from 0.33 to 1%.

The results demonstrate that ATR-FTIR combined with chemometrics modelling can provide a rapid, simple, and cost-effective alternative to conventional methods, while maintaining good accuracy across diverse lignin types.