Abstract
Depolymerization of corn stover lignin from an industrial source was demonstrated over a predominantly Lewis acidic Zr-KIT-5 catalyst with stable activity and reusability. Among the solvents screened (1,4-dioxane, acetic acid, and γ-valerolactone), only acetic acid, the solvent used for separating the lignin from the cellulose fraction, showed a combination of adequate solubility and thermal stability at depolymerization temperatures (∼250 °C). Thermo-solvolytic pretreatment of the lignin followed by catalytic depolymerization enhances the yield of low molecular weight products significantly. This is attributed to better accessibility of the mesopores by the smaller lignin fragments formed during the thermal pretreatment. The yield of ethyl acetate-extractable components is ∼43 wt % (based on the initial lignin), made up of low molecular weight compounds (<1.5 kDa) as confirmed by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis. Twelve phenolic monomers, with a cumulative yield of 28 wt % (based on the initi...
Published Version
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