Pulverized lignin. (Source: © ramona4311 / stock.adobe.com)

An organic polymer which, together with cellulose, is the main component of wood. It is found in the cell walls of wood and is the second most abundant organic compound on Earth. Industrially, it is obtained as a waste product in papermaking because it would cause yellowing and weakening of the paper. Lignin is mainly used as a fuel, but has a number of additional uses. Among other things, it is used to make synthetic vanilla, vanillin.