Electrochemical Depolymerization of Lignin in a Biomass-based Solvent

A. da Cruz, Márcia G.Stockholms universitet,Institutionen för material- och miljökemi (MMK) (author)

Breaking down lignin into smaller units is the key to generate high value-added products. Nevertheless, dissolving this complex plant polyphenol in an environment-friendly way is often a challenge. Levulinic acid, which is formed during the hydrothermal processing of lignocellulosic biomass, has been shown to efficiently dissolve lignin. Herein, levulinic acid was evaluated as a medium for the reductive electrochemical depolymerization of the lignin macromolecule. Copper was chosen as the electrocatalyst due to the economic feasibility and low activity towards the hydrogen evolution reaction. After depolymerization, high-resolution mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy revealed lignin-derived monomers and dimers. A predominance of aryl ether and phenolic groups was observed. Depolymerized lignin was further evaluated as an anti-corrosion coating, revealing enhancements on the electrochemical stability of the metal. Via a simple depolymerization process of biomass waste in a biomass-based solvent, a straightforward approach to produce high value-added compounds or tailored biobased materials was demonstrated.

Gueret, RobinStockholms universitet,Institutionen för material- och miljökemi (MMK)(Swepub:su)rogu5385 (author)
Chen, JianhongStockholms universitet,Institutionen för material- och miljökemi (MMK)(Swepub:su)jich2514 (author)
Piątek, JędrzejStockholms universitet,Institutionen för material- och miljökemi (MMK)(Swepub:su)jepi9323 (author)
Beele, Björn (author)
Sipponen, Mika H.Stockholms universitet,Institutionen för material- och miljökemi (MMK)(Swepub:su)misi6261 (author)
Frauscher, Marcella (author)
Budnyk, Serhiy (author)
M. Rodrigues, Bruno V.Stockholms universitet,Institutionen för material- och miljökemi (MMK),Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany(Swepub:su)brma4176 (author)
Slabon, AdamStockholms universitet,Institutionen för material- och miljökemi (MMK),Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany(Swepub:su)adsl1265 (author)
Stockholms universitetInstitutionen för material- och miljökemi (MMK) (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: A. da Cruz, Márc ...; Gueret, Robin; Chen, Jianhong; Piątek, Jędrzej; Beele, Björn; Sipponen, Mika H ...; show more...; Frauscher, Marce ...; Budnyk, Serhiy; M. Rodrigues, Br ...; Slabon, Adam; show less...

About the subject

Kungliga biblioteket hanterar dina personuppgifter i enlighet med EU:s dataskyddsförordning (2018), GDPR. Läs mer om hur det funkar här.
Så här hanterar KB dina uppgifter vid användning av denna tjänst.