Issue 1, 2017

Catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis of ionic liquid processed biorefinery lignin to phenolic compounds

Abstract

Lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to play a significant role in the global bioeconomy for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. It has been estimated that there are roughly a billion tons of lignocellulose available annually in the United States alone. Valorization of residual lignin streams generated from lignocellulosic biorefineries is key for economic viability and sustainability. In this work, catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as a hydrogen-donor solvent was employed at 300 °C to valorize lignin-enriched residues obtained from an ionic liquid (IL) conversion process. This process results in high liquid yields (65.5 wt%) with a significant amount of monomers present (27 wt%) and low char formation. Compositional analysis of the process streams indicates that alkyl-substituted phenols are the main products. Lignin depolymerization was enhanced at longer reaction times and in the presence of Ru/C, producing more, low molecular weight products with a greater extent of alkylation on the aromatic rings. This work suggests that residual lignin fractions from IL-based lignocellulosic conversion technologies can be depolymerized to value-added products and low molecular weight platform chemicals for the renewable fuels and chemicals sector.

Graphical abstract: Catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis of ionic liquid processed biorefinery lignin to phenolic compounds

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
04 Sep 2016
Accepted
10 Oct 2016
First published
18 Oct 2016

Green Chem., 2017,19, 215-224

Catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis of ionic liquid processed biorefinery lignin to phenolic compounds

K. H. Kim, B. A. Simmons and S. Singh, Green Chem., 2017, 19, 215 DOI: 10.1039/C6GC02473D

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements