A review of modern industrial and developed experimental approaches to the separation and conversion of lignin-a renewable and accumulated raw material of plant origin-into important organic products is presented. Based on an analysis of the literature data, the prospects of the use of catalytic systems for increasing the selectivity and depth of lignin conversion were demonstrated. The basic principles of the application of microwave stimulation to the destruction of the stable structure of lignin, including a new approach to the rapid plasma-catalytic conversion of lignin into synthesis gas, were considered.