Selective production of 2-(tert-butyl)-3-methylphenol from depolymerization of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin with MoS2 catalyst

Low selectivity and complex product distribution are the main challenges for the utilization of lignin. Herein, the selective production of 2-(tert-butyl)-3-methylphenol (TBC), an antioxidant in the polymer industry, from depolymerization of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL) on a hydrothermally synthesized MoS 2 catalyst is studied. The total aromatic monomer yield is 124.1 mg/g EHL and the selectivity of TBC is up to 40.3 wt% in methanol at 280 °C under 2 MPa H 2 for 6 h. The FT-IR analysis of products reveals that MoS 2 has a high activity for demethylation, dehydroxylation and alkylation, and the dimer conversions reveal that C-O and C-C bonds in EHL are broken with MoS 2 . The guaiacol and its derivants are identified as the intermediate for formation of TBC in EHL depolymerization according to the effect of time on product distribution and monomer conversion.