A review article, entitled “Catalytic Transformation of Lignin for the Production of Chemicals and Fuels”, has been recently published in Chemical Reviews (Chem. Rev. 2015, 115, 11559-11624) by the group of Prof. Tao Zhang from the State Key Laboratory of Catalysis.
Review Article on Lignin Catalytic Conversion was Published on Chemical Reviews(Photo by LI Changzhi)
Lignin is a complex three-dimensional amorphous polymer consisting of methoxylated phenylpropanoid units of various types. It accounts for 10-35% by weight, up to 40% by energy in biomass, the production chemicals and/or fuels from lignin will greatly improve the economics of the overall biorefinery process. This review describes lignin structure, property and isolation methods. The important progress on acid/base-catalyzed depolymerization, pyrolysis, hydroprocessing , oxidation, gasification, as well as liquid-phase and steam reforming of lignin are subsequently highlighted. Moreover, an overview of new lignin characterization technologies, involving a fundamental understanding of different catalytic mechanisms and how to design robust catalysts are proposed. The key issues and future trend of lignin conversion are provided as well. This review comprehensive summarizes the latest advances in the chemical reactions of lignin and model compounds, particularly those in recent five years, which will allow us to draw guidelines in the selective depolymerization of lignin to value-added products and fuels.
These works have been financial supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the CAS President’s International Fellowship for Visiting Scientists. (Text/Photo by Dr. Changzhi Li)