Catalytic Hydrogenolysis of Lignin into Phenolics by Internal Hydrogen over Ru Catalyst
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Author list: Hossain, Md. Anwar; Saelee, Tinnakorn; Tulaphol, Sarttrawut; Rahaman, Mohammad Shahinur; Phung, Thanh Khoa; Maihom, Thana; Praserthdam, Piyasan; Praserthdam, Supareak; Yelle, Daniel J.; Sathitsuksanoh, Noppadona;
Publisher: Wiley
Publication year: 2022
Journal acronym: ChemCatChem
Volume number: 14
Issue number: 20
Start page: 1
End page: 9
Number of pages: 9
ISSN: 1867-3880
eISSN: 1867-3899
Languages: English-Great Britain (EN-GB)
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Abstract
Lignin is a by-product of biorefineries and pulp and paper manufacturers. Lignin is a renewable source of phenolic precursors for fuels and chemicals. Hydrogenolysis of lignin cleaves the abundant β-O-4 bonds and releases phenolics. However, selective hydrogenolysis of lignin's β-O-4 bonds is challenging because it requires high-pressure H2. Here we show efficient hydrogenolysis of lignin model compounds and technical lignin by Ru/C catalyst and internal hydrogen. The aliphatic hydroxyl groups (Cα−OH) in lignin enabled Ru-catalyzed dehydrogenation of internal hydrogen and the formation of reactive keto intermediate, which facilitated the β-O-4 cleavage into phenolic monomers. Furthermore, solvents that had a high donor number (Lewis basicity) enhanced the yield of phenolic monomers, equal to 27.9 wt.% from technical lignin. These findings offer a novel approach for biorefineries to design lignin isolation processes and/or solvent systems to maximize phenolic monomers and to control product selectivity/stability. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.
Keywords
dehydrogenation, Meerwein−Ponndorf−Verley, oxygen vacancies, Ru
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