(50a) Towards a New Understanding of the Retro-Aldol Reaction for Oxidative Conversion of Lignin to Aromatic Aldehydes and Acids
AIChE Annual Meeting
2021
2021 Annual Meeting
Forest and Plant Bioproducts Division
Advances in Lignin Degradation Strategies
Monday, November 8, 2021 - 8:00am to 8:15am
Lignin is the most abundant natural biopolymer after cellulose and accounts for 30% of non-fossil carbon on earth. The retro-aldol reaction is one of the key steps involved in the oxidative conversion of lignin to aromatic aldehydes and acids. In principle, the retro-aldol reaction can proceed in the absence of oxygen. In this work, a new approach based on the influence of oxygen on the oxidation of lignin was investigated. The effect of reaction chemistry, time, temperature, and lignin feedstock play a key role on the yield of aromatic aldehydes and acids. At 140°C, oxidation of softwood Lignoboost kraft lignin for 40 minutes results in combined maximum yield of 5.17% w/w of vanillin and vanillic acid. In comparison, using the new approach in which oxygen was charged for only 20 minutes during the 40 minute reaction improved this yield considerably to 6.95%. Further, yield improvement was obtained when applying this approach to different lignin feedstocks. Oxidation also increased the carboxyl content of lignin from 0.49 mmol/g to 1.41 mmol/g which represents consequential improvement. The current study provides further evidence showing that the oxidation reaction is a crucial pathway for lignin valorization.
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