Issue 16, 2017

Towards high-yield lignin monomer production

Abstract

Depolymerizing lignin into lignin monomers has been extensively studied as a pathway to valorize lignin biopolymer. However, low monomer yields and selectivities pose a significant disadvantage in process economics when technical lignins (referring to lignin separated or extracted from biomass pretreatment or fractionation) are used as feedstocks. While it is widely recognized that low monomer yields are the result of lignin condensation occurring during biomass fractionation, research efforts to minimize such condensation to improve the monomer yield is limited. In this article, we analyze the causes of the low monomer yield and present a perspective of achieving high-yield monomer production using methods compatible with the conventional biorefinery concept—biomass fractionation followed by lignin hydrogenolysis. After a mechanistic analysis of lignin condensation and a comparative analysis of the state-of-the-art of avoiding lignin condensation, a lignin stabilization stragegy is suggested for minimizing lignin condensation during biomass fractionation and seperating uncondensed lignin stream for mild-temperature continuous upgrading.

Graphical abstract: Towards high-yield lignin monomer production

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
07 Jun 2017
Accepted
15 Jun 2017
First published
15 Jun 2017

Green Chem., 2017,19, 3752-3758

Towards high-yield lignin monomer production

L. Shuai and B. Saha, Green Chem., 2017, 19, 3752 DOI: 10.1039/C7GC01676J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements