Catalysts
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2026
·Vol. 16
·期 4
·319
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IF 4.5
Jie Yang,Xinyu Jiao,Shihao Lv,Anjiang Gao,Shu Zhang,Yong Huang
Lignin, a complex and heterogeneous polymer, poses significant challenges for effective thermal valorization due to its broad molecular weight distribution and structural diversity. This study systematically compares the effect of lignin’s molecular weight on product distribution under pyrolysis and Ru/C-catalyzed depolymerization conditions. Fractionated lignin samples with distinct molecular weights were subjected to identical thermal and catalytic conversion pathways. Pyrolysis results indicate that, compared with low-molecular-weight (low-MW) lignin, high-molecular-weight (high-MW) lignin more readily generates phenolic compounds, with the relative content of guaiacol increasing by nearly twofold. In contrast, products derived from low-MW lignin contain a higher abundance of unsaturated structures, such as 4-allyl-2,6-dimethoxyphenol, suggesting that side chain cleavage and rearrangement reactions are more pronounced. In contrast, Ru/C-catalyzed depolymerization exhibits a stronger molecular-weight-dependent selectivity, where low-MW lignin is more readily converted into carboxylic acids due to enhanced accessibility of terminal functional groups and reduced structural condensation. This comparative analysis demonstrates that lignin’s molecular weight plays a process-dependent role in governing product distribution, providing guidance for tailored lignin valorization strategies.
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高影响因子
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
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2026
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IF 12.5
Yunfan Gui,Wenzhi Li,Chenchen Gui,Ajibola T. Ogunbiyi,Lida Wang,Guoshun Liu
A reactive benzyl alcohol/5-SSA system enabled efficient corn stover component fractionation. • The fractionation removed 86.52% lignin and 90.51% hemicellulose while retaining 88.45% cellulose. • Low-condensation lignin was recovered through benzyl alcohol-mediated structural protection. • HSQC and DFT revealed that benzyl alcohol suppressed lignin condensation via reactive grafting. • Pretreated residue is converted into high-surface-area porous biochar. Efficient fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass under mild conditions while preserving lignin structural integrity remains a major challenge for biomass valorization. In this work, we developed a binary pretreatment system composed of benzyl alcohol and 5-sulfosalicylic acid (5-SSA) for the mild fractionation and component utilization of corn stover. The results showed that under the optimal conditions (100 °C, 60 min, and 4 wt% 5-SSA), 86.52% of lignin and 90.51% of hemicellulose were removed, while 88.45% of cellulose was retained. The recovered lignin showed high purity, a light color, a low condensation degree, and a relatively uniform molecular-weight distribution. 2D-HSQC NMR combined with DFT calculations suggested that benzyl alcohol may suppress lignin condensation through stabilization of benzylic intermediates and interaction with reactive nucleophilic sites on lignin aromatic rings. In addition, benzyl glycosides were identified as important hemicellulose-derived products in the aqueous phase, suggesting a solvent participated alcoholysis/glycosylation pathway. The cellulose-rich solid residue was upgraded into porous biochar with a specific surface area of up to 1388.13 m 2 g −1 via KHCO 3 -assisted pyrolysis. This work provides an effective strategy for the mild fractionation of corn stover, recovery of high-quality lignin, and integrated valorization of biomass components. Download: Download high-res image (114KB) Download: Download full-size image
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MATERIALS & DESIGN
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2026
·
IF 8.2
Chang Xu,Zhichao Zhang,Xufeng Dong,Xijing Zhuang
A polyurethane elastomer is prepared via boronate–lignin nanoparticle synergy. • Lignin incorporation boosts tensile strength of polyurethane elastomer by over 500%. • It exhibits effective self-healing ability and ideal reprocessability. • It shows good biocompatibility and can serve as a flexible sensor. Conventional polyurethane elastomers face challenges in balancing mechanical properties, self-healing ability, and biosafety, along with heavy reliance on petrochemical resources. Here, we propose a strategy combining dynamic covalent crosslinking with nano-interfacial toughening to construct a lignin-based self-healing polyurethane (TPU-LNP). A dithiol-bis(boronic ester) chain extender (BDB) was synthesized to introduce reversible crosslinks into the polyurethane backbone, while nanoscale lignin particles serve as a green reinforcing phase, forming multiple hydrogen bonds and enabling stress transfer. The dynamic network and physical interfacial interactions synergistically overcome the typical trade-off between strength and self-healing efficiency. Compared with single dynamic network polyurethane (P-TPU), TPU-LNP shows > 500% increase in tensile strength while retaining 1000% elongation at break. Efficient self-healing of TPU-LNP is achieved under ambient conditions, and the tensile strength of the healed specimen is still 3.9 times that of P-TPU. Sensors fabricated with this elastomer as the flexible substrate exhibit sensitive strain-sensing capacity and can capture diverse human movements, demonstrating great application potential in wearable monitoring. In vitro and in vivo biocompatibility evaluations verify that the material possesses extremely low cytotoxicity and triggers negligible tissue inflammatory responses, indicating its adequate biosafety. This work offers a route to high-performance self-healing elastomers for biomedical and smart flexible applications. Download: Download high-res image (214KB) Download: Download full-size image
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ENERGY
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2026
·
IF 10.1
Zhiheng Zhang,Yuanhong Wei,Junming Gai,Qiulu Chu,Shuiping Ouyang,Jing Wang,Shufang Wu
Pretreatment leads to significant structural changes of lignocellulose that affects biomass fractionation and valorization. This work proposed carbocation scavengers assisted benzoic acid (BA) and deep eutectic solvent (DES) pretreatments, in which 2-naphthol (2N) addition in BA pretreatment facilitated production of highly active xylo-oligosaccharide (XOSs yield of 42.46 %, with X2-X3 percentage of 68.06 %), and 2-naphthol-7-sulphonate (NS) addition in DES post-treatment facilitated lignin removal (∼94.53 %), providing a cellulose-enriched and readily-hydrolyzed solid. Besides, high-titer ethanol (57.88 g/L) was produced through high-solid-loading pre-hydrolysis simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (PSSF) process on this BA2N-DES/NS pretreated solid, with ethanol yield of 85.21 %. Moreover, various analysis (GPC, 31 P NMR and 2D HSQC NMR) revealed that, this cascade fractionation process allowed recovery of high-purity and less-condensed lignin while preserving abundant β-O-4 linkages, which could be readily assembled into regular sphere-shape lignin nanoparticles with average size of 188.2 nm. Results presented great potential of the carbocation scavengers assisted combinational pretreatment as a first step for lignocellulosic biorefinery to co-produce xylo-oligosaccharides (XOSs), lignin and high-titer bioethanol.
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GREEN CHEMISTRY
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2026
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IF 10.6
Lei Yu,Yunjian Ma,Chenhao Feng,Frank Hollmann,Wei Ren,Fanghua Wang,Shengjie Guo,Bin Wu,Yonghua Wang
Aromatic dioxygenases (ADOs) catalyse the oxidative cleavage of C=C bonds in aromatic olefins, producing valuable aldehydes or ketones. Due to their coenzyme independence, ADOs are attractive catalysts. However, the limited catalytic performance of natural ADOs restricts their broader practical application. Here, we determined the 2.2 Å crystal structure of an ADO from Coniochaeta pulveracea (CpuADO). Structure-guided mutagenesis targeting residues near the active site identified a mutant F349W, which exhibits enhanced catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) toward sinapyl alcohol by about 1.41-fold compared to the wild-type enzyme. In parallel, AI-based computational screening identified a mutant W338D, which shows improved catalytic efficiency for several aromatic olefins, including 1.3-fold for coniferyl alcohol, 1.7-fold for 4-vinylguaiacol, and approximately 12-fold for isoeugenol. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed stabilised Fe2+-C=C distances (approximately 5.5 Å in F349W and 4.7-6.2 Å in W338D) and reduced structural fluctuations, indicating improved substrate positioning. These findings provide a structure-based strategy for engineering ADOs with enhanced catalytic performance toward lignin-related aromatic olefins, allowing for more efficient lignin valorisation.
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高影响因子
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
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2026
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IF 12.5
Nan Wang,Yaxin Deng,Zhijie Liao,Qiyu Liu,Jianglin Liu,Xuliang Lin,Zhenyao Wang,Xueqing Qiu
Depolymerizing technical lignin into aromatic monomers is a promising route to renewable aromatic precursors for sustainable aviation fuels, yet it is hindered by the low reactivity of condensed C O and C C linkages. In this work, Al-modified silica nanosphere supported Ni catalysts (Ni/Al-SiO 2 ) are developed for selective lignin hydrogenolysis. The optimal Ni/Al 2 -SiO 2 achieves complete β-O-4 bond conversion and fully transforms 2-phenoxy-1-phenylethanol into phenol and ethylbenzene with yields exceeding 99%. In contrast, commercial Ru/C mainly produces ring-saturated products. Ni/Al 2 -SiO 2 also accelerates the hydrogenolysis of the β-1 bond in 1,2-diphenylethane, delivering high aromatic selectivity with no detectable cycloalkanes. For technical lignin, Ni/Al 2 -SiO 2 affords a 23% aromatic-monomer yield, outperforming that of Ru/C (19%), and maintaining consistent performance across various types of technical lignin. The incorporation of Al generates Lewis-acid sites and polar oxygen motifs, which enrich and polarize the substrates. Adjacent Ni 0 sites dissociate H 2 to generate reactive hydrogen, while strengthened interfacial adsorption, reduced key barriers, and promoted hydrogen spillover enable rapid hydrogenative capping of reactive intermediates, suppressing condensation and preserving aromatic selectivity. This work provides a non-noble-metal interface-engineering strategy for reductive depolymerization of technical lignin into aromatic-rich sustainable aviation fuel precursors.
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JOURNAL OF ANALYTICAL AND APPLIED PYROLYSIS
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2026
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IF 6.7
Zihang Zhang,Jusheng Hu,Honghui Li,Hongcai Su,Ying Zhang,Donghui Ci,Shurong Wang
Lignin pyrolysis serves as a crucial pathway for producing high-value phenolic compounds. This process is significantly influenced by the inherent alkali and alkaline earth metals (AAEMs) in biomass, which can selectively regulate pyrolysis pathways and product distributions. However, the microscopic catalytic mechanisms of AAEMs remain unclear, hindering precise control over the formation of specific phenolic products such as guaiacyl (G-type), syringyl (S-type) and p-hydroxyphenyl (H-type) phenolics. Therefore, this study systematically investigates the effects of K, Na, Ca, and Mg on lignin pyrolysis characteristics. Using 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (syringol) as a model compound, pyrolysis reaction pathways were constructed and the microscopic mechanisms of AAEMs were elucidated through electronic structure analysis. The results indicated that the introduction of AAEMs promoted the formation of H-type phenolics. Among them, Ca exhibited the most pronounced catalytic effect, increasing the relative selectivity of H-type phenolics by 12.3% compared to non-catalysis. TG-FTIR analysis revealed enhanced release of CH 4 , further confirming that AAEMs facilitated demethylation reactions. DFT calculations demonstrated that the initial pyrolysis pathway of syringol involved the homolytic cleavage of a methoxy group to form a methyl radical (•CH 3 ). Subsequent reactions primarily included methoxy group rearrangement and radical-induced demethoxylation. For the radical-induced demethoxylation pathway, which proceeded via two transition states (radical attack and methoxy dissociation), AAEMs were found to promote demethoxylation by reducing the energy barrier of the methoxy dissociation step in the case of H radical-induced reactions. In contrast, for methyl radical-induced reactions, alkali metals (K and Na) also functioned by lowering the methoxy dissociation barrier, whereas alkaline earth metals (Ca and Mg) promoted demethoxylation by merging the two transition states into a single step through induced electron redistribution. This study systematically elucidates the influence of AAEMs on product distribution and the microscopic catalytic mechanisms during lignin pyrolysis. The findings provide a theoretical foundation for the targeted pyrolysis of lignin to produce specific high-value phenolic compounds. #
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高影响因子
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
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2026
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IF 6.4
Zheyuan Ding,Juncheng Zhao,Jiaming Zhang,Junzhong Xie,Kunye Zhang,Cenkai Zhao,Jikun Xu,Yu Wang,Xuepin Liao,Xiao Xiao,Bi Shi
A 100% lignin β -O-4 model conversion with 93.1% monomer selectivity and a high TON was obtained. • The interplay between Ru particle and single atom contributed to the high performance. • Favorable stability under high-temperature heating and high-pressure with reusability > 97%. Catalytic hydrogenolysis is a promising strategy for converting lignin into valuable aryl platform chemicals, contingent upon the availability of high-performance catalysts. The philosophy for the catalyst rational design towards high conversion and selectivity was rarely reported to the best of our knowledge. We illustrate the synergistic interplay between Ru particles and single atoms, contributing to the high catalytic performance. The N-doped carbon-supported Ru catalyst is designed by combining collagen fiber-immobilized tannin adsorption with carbonization (TNC). The Ru is finely dispersed on the TNC support in the form of both single atoms and nanoparticles at a low metal loading of 0.91 wt% (noted as Ru/TNC). It achieved a 100% conversion with a 93.1% aromatic monomer yield in the catalytic hydrogenolysis of lignin β –O–4 model 2-phenoxy-1-phenylethanol (PPE) at 260 °C and 2 MPa H 2 . The primary products of this reaction included ethylbenzene, cyclohexanol, and ethylcyclohexane, and a high turnover number (TON) of 955 was obtained, which surpassed most reports. Specifically, the Ru particle sites facilitate efficient H 2 dissociation, while the single-atom sites provide a weakly adsorbing environment for reaction intermediates due to electron-rich isolated Ru atoms, thereby effectively suppressing over-hydrogenation. This work offers a promising catalyst rational design principle for selective hydrogenation for efficient C–O bond cleavage of lignin, demonstrating significant potential in transforming lignin into value-added platform chemicals. Download: Download high-res image (151KB) Download: Download full-size image Possible reaction pathway on Ru/TNC catalyst consisting of Ru particle and Ru single atom. The intermediates easily desorbed over Ru single atom site due to the weak adsorption. Purple ball: Ru atom, red ball: N atom, white ball: H atom where Ru particles serve as H* species supply pump due to H spillover.
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GREEN CHEMISTRY
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2026
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IF 10.6
Tao Yin,Zhaoyuan Huang,Bowen Luo,Zhipeng Tian,Chao Wang,Jianping Liu,Ying Chen,Riyang Shu
A novel catalytic strategy for enhanced lignin hydrogenolysis by in-situ hydrogen supply was developed over CoTi@Biochar catalyst. In this catalytic system, methanol is used as solvent for lignin hydrogenolysis. The suitable addition of water promoted methanol-water aqueous phase reforming (APR) reaction for in-situ hydrogen supply, which enhances the lignin hydrogenolysis performance. The synergistic interaction between Co and Ti species not only promotes the APR reaction for hydrogen production, but also improves the hydrogenolysis of lignin. The proposed strategy offers a promising approach for advancing lignin valorization and sustainable biorefinery technologies.
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高影响因子
Molecular Catalysis
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2026
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IF 4.3
Shan Gao,Jiahui Wei,Mengxing Yu,Ningbo Yang,Lei Wang,Fengli Yu,Bing Yuan
An aqueous Ru-Co bimetallic catalyst system was successfully constructed. • The activity of Ru-Co catalyst was enhanced via sodium lignosulfonate demethylation. • Dicyclohexylmethane and perhydrofluorene were produced under mild conditions. An aqueous bimetallic nanoparticle catalyst system (Ru-Co@DMSLS aq ) was successfully constructed by first modifying sodium lignosulfonate (SLS) via a Na 2 SO 3 -mediated, NaOH-catalyzed method to obtain demethylated SLS (DMSLS). 1 H NMR analysis revealed that the increased hydroxyl content in optimized DMSLS was the key factor enhancing the reduction ability toward metal ions in aqueous solution, thereby yielding Ru and Co nanoparticles with improved catalytic activity. With a precursor ratio of n (Ru 3 O(OAc) 7 )/ n (Co(OAc) 2 ) = 3/2, the resulting Ru-Co@DMSLS aq system featured uniformly dispersed nanoparticles and exhibited outstanding catalytic performance in the hydrogenation of diphenylmethane (DPM) and the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of o -hydroxydiphenylmethane ( o -HDPM). Under the conditions of 80 °C, 1.5 MPa H 2 , and 4 h, nearly complete conversion of DPM was achieved with 99.2% selectivity toward dicyclohexylmethane (DCHM). Additionally, a yield of 98.5% for perhydrofluorene (PHF) was attained at 90 °C, 1.5 MPa H 2 , and 4 h in the HDO of o -HDPM. The aqueous bimetallic system enabled favorable product-catalyst self-separation and could be reused five times. This work presents a feasible strategy for valorizing lignin derivatives into low-cost, efficient catalysts for biomass-related hydrogenation processes. Download: Download high-res image (269KB) Download: Download full-size image
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高影响因子
POLYMER DEGRADATION AND STABILITY
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2026
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IF 8.1
Yuting Jiang,Zhichao Yang,Qihui Jin,Yunsheng Xu,Xianming Zhang,Minna Hakkarainen
Reconciling robust adhesion to glass with post-cure reprocessability remains a persistent challenge for thermoset adhesives, as interfacial strength is often gained at the expense of network reconfigurability. In this work, lignin-derived epoxy Covalent Adaptable Networks incorporating exchangeable silyl ether linkages were constructed through epoxidation of organosolv lignin followed by curing with a siloxane-containing diamine under catalytic conditions. The resulting networks exhibited improved thermal resistance and lignin-dependent thermomechanical behavior, while stress-relaxation measurements revealed efficient topology rearrangement over 150–180 °C. This dynamic character enabled hot-press reprocessing, with 86–96% retention of tensile strength after one recycling cycle. Owing to the presence of siloxane-containing segments, wetting on glass was enhanced, and the optimized formulation delivered a lap shear strength of 1.51 MPa. More importantly, fractured joints could be thermally reassembled while retaining 70–90% of their original bonding strength, demonstrating that dynamic network rearrangement could be translated into recoverable interfacial performance. Lignin also imparted an intrinsic photothermal response, enabling rapid near-infrared-induced local heating and contactless surface repair. These findings establish a recyclable thermoset adhesive platform in which renewable aromatic feedstocks, dynamic Si–O exchange, and glass-oriented interfacial design are integrated within a single network architecture.
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高影响因子
INDUSTRIAL CROPS AND PRODUCTS
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2026
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IF 6.4
Yaxu Sun,Rui Zhang,Yilin Li,Meng Liu,Yuhan Lou,Yunwang Jiang,Wen Wang,Qi Tang,Yongzhuang Liu,Haipeng Yu
The recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass, primarily due to lignin-carbohydrate complexes (LCCs), poses a major challenge for its efficient biorefining into biofuels, biochemicals, and biomaterials. Herein, we report a synergistic dual-base pretreatment system comprising sodium percarbonate (SP) and ethanolamine (ETA) for the selective fractionation of corn cob. This system effectively cleaves LCC ether and ester bonds via combined alkaline hydrolysis and nucleophilic aminolysis, enabling a hemicellulose-first fractionation strategy. Under optimal conditions (160°C, 1 h, 4% SP/40% ETA), a high hemicellulose yield of 55.30% (based on original content) with exceptional purity of 91.86% was achieved. Concurrently, the process generated a cellulose/xylan-enriched holocellulose residue with enhanced enzymatic digestibility and yielded a nitrogen-functionalized lignin stream bearing amide groups. This work presents a green and integrated approach for concurrent biomass fractionation and lignin valorization, offering new insights into sustainable lignocellulose biorefining. Download: Download high-res image (183KB) Download: Download full-size image
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危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）