The conversion of
lignin to biofuels and biobased chemicals is
currently attracting a lot of attention. We here report on the valorization
of Kraft lignin by a catalytic hydrotreatment using Ni, Mo, and W
phosphide catalysts supported on activated carbon in the absence of
an external solvent. Experiments were carried out in a batch setup
in the temperature range of 400–500 °C and 100 bar initial
H2 pressure. The synthesized catalysts were characterized
by X-ray diffraction, nitrogen physisorption, and transmission electron
microscopy. The lignin oils were analyzed extensively by different
techniques such as GPC, GC-MS-FID, 13C NMR, and elemental
analysis. Two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC×GC-FID) was
applied to identify and quantify distinct groups of compounds (aromatics,
alkylphenolics, alkanes, etc.). Mo-based catalysts displayed higher
activity compared to the W-containing catalysts. The reaction parameters
such as the effect of reaction temperature, reaction time, and catalyst
loading were studied for two catalysts (15MoP/AC and 20NiMoP/AC),
and optimized reaction conditions regarding yields of monomeric components
were identified (400 °C, 100 bar H2 at RT, 10 wt %
catalyst loading on lignin intake). The highest monomer yield (45.7
wt % on lignin) was obtained for the 20NiMoP/AC (Ni 5.6 wt %, Mo 9.1
wt %, P 5.9 wt %) catalyst, which includes 25% alkylphenolics, 8.7%
aromatics, and 9.9% alkanes. Our results clearly reveal that the phosphide
catalysts are highly efficient catalyst to depolymerize the Kraft
lignin to valuable biobased chemicals and outperform sulfided NiMo
catalysts (monomer yield on lignin < 30 wt %).