It is a challenge to promote aqueous-phase precise conversion of renewable lignin to valuable chemical building blocks via engineering transition metal catalysts. Motivated by the water effect in promoting catalytic activity, a Ni/Nb2O5 catalyst assembled from plenty of Nb2O5 nanoplates enabled efficient selective hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived phenols to alcohols in the aqueous phase. Taking advantage of hierarchical plate features, the interactions between Ni and Nb2O5 plates were enhanced, with the generation of additional interfacial Ni–NbOx sites. The presence of water significantly enhanced the selective hydrodeoxygenation performance by promoting hydrogenation and hydrolysis, and retarding the dehydration process. Through this strategy, the overall yields of alcohols for lignin oil upgrading reached 73.5 wt% in water at 220 °C.
Converting lignin into renewable fuels via hydrogenolysis is crucial for achieving carbon neutrality. Existing methods primarily produce monomers in the carbon range of 6–9, inadequate for sustainable aviation fuels requiring heavier components. This study introduces a Ni/Nb 2 O 5 catalyst for catalytic transfer hydrogenolysis of organosolv birch lignin with isopropanol, predominantly resulting in dimers and trimers within carbon ranges of 8–16 and 16–30, comprising 24.7 % and 60.5 % of the lignin-oil, respectively. The catalyst's oxygen vacancies and acid sites facilitate efficient C-O and C-C bonds cleavage, preserving a highly aromatic structure with reduced O/C ratio, elevated H/C ratio, and decreased unsaturation. Characterization techniques confirm a significant 55.5 % deoxygenation degree of the lignin-oil, making it suitable for the synthesis of customized fuel across various carbon numbers. This approach offers a practical pathway for obtaining renewable heavier fuel components and precursors from lignin, significantly advancing sustainable fuel technologies.
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）