Novel Diesel-Like Liquid Fuel Production by Hydrodeoxygenation–In Situ Esterification of Lignin-Derived Bio-oil and Plant/Animal Oil

Abstract

Biofuels can be produced from lignin and plant/animal oil by thermochemical conversion. On the basis of traditional methods, a novel strategy was proposed for the first time to produce diesel-like liquid fuel from lignin-derived bio-oil and plant/animal oil by hydrodeoxygenation–in situ esterification, which can fully utilize both aromatic units and −OCH3 groups of lignin. Guaiacol and lauric acid were selected as model compounds of two feedstocks, respectively. Cyclohexyl laurate and methyl laurate with cetane values of 59.2 and 63.9, respectively, were obtained, of which the fuel properties satisfied the biodiesel standard. The yield of esters reached 112.5 mol % with nearly complete conversion of guaiacol. In contrast, the presence of the additional −OCH3 group linked to the sixth carbon of 2,6-dimethoxylphenol hindered the formation of cyclohexanol while increasing the yield of methanol. In addition, lignin-derived dimers could also be efficiently converted into the diesel-like liquid fuel rich in esters and cycloalkanes.