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Catalytic Conversion of Lignins for Valuable Chemicals

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A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomass Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 15294

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Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Valery E. Tarabanko

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Guest Editor

Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technology of the Siberian Branch of the RAS, Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk Science Center of the RAS, Russia
Interests: catalytic oxidation and hydrogenation, mechanisms, kinetics; lignins and carbohydrates catalytic conversion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biomass of wood and agricultural wastes consists of three main polymer components, lignin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses. The possibilities of processing them into valuable chemicals are actively studied and focused on the replacement of oil resources with renewable plant feedstock.
Oxidation of native and technical lignins produces vanillin, syringaldehyde and other valuable chemicals. Different catalysts, starting from traditional copper oxide, are used to improve the processes. Studies of new catalysts and their comparison with the traditional ones are of great interest.
Many oxidants (air and oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, copper oxide, nitrobrenzene and others) for lignins oxidation are used to produce the chemicals. Many methods of lignins oxidation, including wet air oxidation, oxidation in different solvents, electrochemical oxidation and others are applied. Comparisons of oxidants, methods and their efficiency will permit to estimate their market prospects.
Processing native lignins of wood and agricultural wastes creates the problem of utilization and conversion of the carbohydrates produced, and studies on solving this problem are invited.
Hydrogenation of lignins is more popular field of research oriented for biofuels and fine chemicals, and studies in this and other directions of lignins conversion are welcome.
Finally, discussions on new fields of application, market prospects of vanillin, syringaldehyde and other products are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Valery E. Tarabanko
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

Catalysis for oxidation of lignins by oxygen
Other methods for oxidation of lignins
Hydrogenation and other processes for lignins processing
Ecology of processing lignins
Kinetics and mechanisms of lignin conversion
Oxidation of native lignin of wood and agricultural wastes
Application and utilization of carbohydrates after the native lignin conversion
Processing of industrial waste lignins
Market of the valuable chemicals and market prospects to produce the chemicals

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 171 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Catalytic Conversion of Lignins for Valuable Chemicals

by Valery E. Tarabanko

Catalysts 2021, 11(10), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11101254 - 18 Oct 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1351

Abstract

Modern civilization is moving from fossil sources of raw materials and, consequently, energy to renewable resources: plant raw materials and solar and wind energy [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Lignins for Valuable Chemicals)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

11 pages, 2746 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Thermal Conversion of Flax Shives in Sub- and Supercritical Ethanol in the Presence of Ru/C Catalyst

by Aleksandr S. Kazachenko, Angelina V. Miroshnikova, Valery E. Tarabanko, Andrey M. Skripnikov, Yuriy N. Malyar, Valentina S. Borovkova, Valentin V. Sychev and Oxana P. Taran

Catalysts 2021, 11(8), 970; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11080970 - 13 Aug 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 1770

Abstract

Thermal conversion of flax shives was studied in sub- and supercritical ethanol medium at 225 and 250 °C in the presence of the bifunctional catalyst 3% Ru/C. The use of 3% Ru/C catalyst in the process of thermal conversion of flax shives in supercritical ethanol was found to increase the conversion of the shives by 27% and the yield of liquid products by 10%. The use of 3% Ru/C catalyst in sub- and supercritical ethanol led to the destruction of both lignin and cellulose. The degree of delignification in the non-catalytic thermal conversion increased upon transition from subcritical (225 °C) to supercritical (250 °C) conditions. Main monomeric products of the thermal conversion process were guaiacylpropene or guaiacylpropane depending on the process temperature. In the presence of Ru/C catalyst, the molecular weight distribution was shifted towards an increase in the content of monomeric compounds in the liquid products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Lignins for Valuable Chemicals)

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15 pages, 10124 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Kraft Lignin Ethanolysis over Zeolites with Different Acidity and Pore Structures for Aromatics Production

by Nathan Cody Baxter, Yuxin Wang, Huijiang Huang, Yixin Liao, Heath Barnett, Yujun Zhao and Shengnian Wang

Catalysts 2021, 11(2), 270; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11020270 - 18 Feb 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2504

Abstract

To utilize its rich aromatics, lignin, a high-volume waste and environmental hazard, was depolymerized in supercritical ethanol over various zeolites types with different acidity and pore structures. Targeting at high yield/selectivity of aromatics such as phenols, microporous Beta, Y, and ZSM-5 zeolites were first examined in lignin ethanolysis, followed by zeolites with similar micropore size but different acidity. Further comparisons were made between zeolites with fin-like and worm-like mesoporous structures and their microporous counterparts. Despite depolymerization complexity and diversified ethanolysis products, strong acidity was found effective to cleave both C–O–C and C–C linkages of lignin while mild acidity works mainly in ether bond breakdown. However, when diffusion of gigantic molecules is severe, pore size, particularly mesopores, becomes more decisive on phenol selectivity. These findings provide important guidelines on future selection and design of zeolites with appropriate acidity and pore structure to promote lignin ethanolysis or other hydrocarbon cracking processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Lignins for Valuable Chemicals)

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17 pages, 2686 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Selective Modification of Aliphatic Hydroxy Groups in Lignin Using Ionic Liquid

by Shiori Suzuki, Shimon Kurachi, Naoki Wada and Kenji Takahashi

Catalysts 2021, 11(1), 120; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11010120 - 15 Jan 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2982

Abstract

A facile, sustainable method for the selective modification of aliphatic hydroxy (R–OH) groups in Kraft lignin was developed using an ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EmimOAc), as a solvent and catalyst. Selective R–OH modification was achieved by a one-pot, two-step homogeneous reaction: (i) acetylation of R–OH and aromatic OH (Ar–OH) groups with isopropenyl acetate (IPAc) as an acyl donor and (ii) subsequent selective deacetylation of the generated aromatic acetyl (Ar–OAc) groups. In step (i), IPAc reacts rapidly with Ar–OH but slowly with R–OH. The generated Ar–OAc is gradually deacetylated by heating in EmimOAc, whereas the aliphatic acetyl (R–OAc) groups are chemically stable. In step (ii), all R–OH is acetylated by IPAc and Ar–OAc which is a better acyl donor than IPAc, contributing to the rapid acetylation of the remaining R–OH, and selective deacetylation of the residual Ar–OAc is completed by adding a tiny amount of water as a proton source. This two-step reaction resulted in selective R–OH modification (>99%) in Kraft lignin with the remaining being almost all Ar–OH groups (93%). Selectively modified Kraft lignin was obtained with an acceptably high isolated yield (85%) and repeatability (N = 3). Furthermore, despite the lower substitution degree, it exhibited solubility in common solvents, heat-meltability, and thermal stability comparable to completely acetylated Kraft lignin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Lignins for Valuable Chemicals)

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13 pages, 2587 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Photocatalytic Pretreatment of Commercial Lignin Using TiO₂-ZnO Nanocomposite-Derived Advanced Oxidation Processes for Methane Production Synergy in Lab Scale Continuous Reactors

by Yu-Ming Chu, Hafiz Muhammad Asif Javed, Muhammad Awais, Muhammad Ijaz Khan, Sana Shafqat, Falak Sher Khan, Muhammad Salman Mustafa, Dawood Ahmed, Sami Ullah Khan and Rana Muhammad Arif Khalil

Catalysts 2021, 11(1), 54; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11010054 - 02 Jan 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3035

Abstract

The photocatalytic pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass to oxidize lignin and increase biomass stability has gained attention during the last few years. Conventional pretreatment methods are limited by the fact that they are expensive, non-renewable and contaminate the anaerobic digestate later on. The present study was focused to develop a metal-derived photocatalyst that can work with visible electromagnetic spectra light and oxidize commercial lignin liquor. During this project the advanced photocatalytic oxidation of lignin was achieved by using a quartz cube tungsten T3 Halogen 100 W lamp with a laboratory manufactured TiO₂-ZnO nanoparticle (nanocomposite) in a self-designed apparatus. The products of lignin oxidation were confirmed to be vanillic acid (9.71 ± 0.23 mg/L), ferrulic acid (7.34 ± 0.16 mg/L), benzoic acid (6.12 ± 0.17 mg/L) and p-coumaric acid (3.80 ± 0.13 mg/L). These all products corresponded to 85% of the lignin oxidation products that were detectable, which is significantly more than any previously reported lignin pretreatment with even more intensity. Furthermore, all the pretreatment samples were supplemented in the form of feedstock diluent in uniformly operating continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). The results of pretreatment revealed 85% lignin oxidation and later on these products did not hinder the CSTR performance at any stage. Moreover, the synergistic effects of pretreated lignin diluent were seen that resulted in 39% significant increase in the methane yield of the CSTR with constant operation. Finally, the visible light and nanoparticles alone could not pretreat lignin and when used as diluent, halted and reduced the methane yield by 37% during 4th HRT. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Lignins for Valuable Chemicals)

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17 pages, 13673 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Reductive Catalytic Fractionation of Flax Shive over Ru/C Catalysts

by Aleksandr S. Kazachenko, Valery E. Tarabanko, Angelina V. Miroshnikova, Valentin V. Sychev, Andrey M. Skripnikov, Yuriy N. Malyar, Yuriy L. Mikhlin, Sergey V. Baryshnikov and Oxana P. Taran

Catalysts 2021, 11(1), 42; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/catal11010042 - 31 Dec 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 2835

Abstract

Flax shive is the main waste (up to 70 wt %) in the production of flax fiber. It represents the lignified parts of the flax stem mainly in the form of small straws. Complex processing of such wastes is a significant problem due to the heterogeneity of the chemical structure of lignin. This article presents the results of reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) of flax shive in ethanol and isopropanol at elevated temperatures (225–250 °C) in the presence of a bifunctional catalyst (Ru/C) and molecular hydrogen. This provides solvolytic depolymerization of lignin and hemicelluloses presented in flax shive. Catalytic hydrogenation effectively stabilizes the formed lignin intermediates and prevents repolymerization reactions producing the lignin fraction with a high degree of depolymerization. RCF of flax shive produces solid products with a high cellulose content and liquid products consisting mainly of monophenolic compounds. Furthermore, the effect of different characteristics (the ruthenium content, particle size, and support acidity) of the bifunctional catalysts containing ruthenium nanoparticles supported on mesoporous, graphite-like carbon material Sibunit^®-4 on the yield and composition of the products of hydrogenation of flax shive in sub- and super-critical ethanol has been studied. Bifunctional catalysts Ru/C used in the RCF of flax shive increase its conversion from 44 to 56 wt % and the yield of monophenols from 1.1 to 10.2 wt % (based on the weight of lignin in the sample). Using the best Ru/C catalyst containing 3% of Ru on oxidized at 400 °C carbon support, the high degree of delignification (up to 79.0%), cellulose yield (up to 67.2 wt %), and monophenols yield (up to 9.5 wt %) have been obtained. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Catalytic Conversion of Lignins for Valuable Chemicals)

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