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Black liquor (alkaline solution composed essentially of hemicellulose and lignin) is the main by-product of the paper industry applying the Kraft process. As such, 500 millions of tons of this black liquor are produced annually. For now, the industry is burning this waste in order to produce heat through combustion and pressurized water to generated power from electro-generator turbines. Beyond a rather small energetic yield, the carbon (CO₂) emission is not in sustainable anymore regarding greenhouse-gas-induced climate change.

A solution to valorize this black liquor has just been proposed by a small consortium from Bordeaux (France). Thanks to a new process, both patented [1] and recently published in Langmuir [2] an ACS Journal, this industrial by-product becomes the main precursor of carbonaceous self-standing porous materials dedicated towards energy storage and conversion applications. This major innovation, is pleading for a change of paradigm while addressing smart and virtuous waste treatment from the paper industry, fulfilling thereby nowadays sustainable energy transition endeavor.

Acknowledgments: This work is emerging from the Université de Bordeaux GPR « Post Petroleum Materials » (PPM). Aside, the CNRS and particularly the RS2E program are also acknowledge for their support. Laboratories involved: ISM, LCPO, ICMCB and CRPP.