Efficient base-catalyzed decomposition and in situ hydrogenolysis process for lignin depolymerization and char elimination

Serious char formation caused by the repolymerization of unsaturated decomposition products is a considerable challenge for current lignin utilization. Here, a novel and efficient base-catalyzed depolymerization and in situ hydrogenolysis process for lignin decomposition and char elimination was proposed using the synergic catalyst of NaOH coordinated with Ru/C. In which, lignin was first depolymerized to phenolic monomer and its oligomer, and then the oligomer was further converted to more stable aliphatic alcohols simultaneously. The results showed that more than 92.5% of lignin was converted, giving 12.69% phenolic monomer, 6.12% aliphatic alcohol and less than 14.03% residual solid. This residual solid selectivity was far lower than it from the single catalyst condition. Furthermore, the products were analyzed using GC–MS, GPC, HPLC–MS and 1 H NMR. The synergistic effect between depolymerization and hydrogenolysis was also investigated through comparative analysis of the feedstock, products, and the recovered lignin.