The
catalytic depolymerization of organic solvent lignin with the
prepared catalyst 2.5Ru–10Ni/Al-HY was investigated in a high-pressure
reactor. Effects of different catalysts, temperature, time, recyclability
for catalyst, and solvents on the catalytic performance were explored.
The optimal reaction conditions were reaction time 5 h and temperature
280 °C in ethanol solvent. As a result, the highest yield of
phenolic monomers was 20.2 wt %, the yield of solid residue was only
4.8 wt %, and the gas products were CH4, C2H6, and CO mainly. With the increase of cycle times, the catalyst
had no obvious deactivation, indicating a unique cycle stability.
Through NMR characterization of lignin and depolymerization products,
it was found that the signals of the original structures (A, B, and
C) in lignin disappeared after reaction. According to the analysis
of the reaction path, the depolymerization of lignin mainly included
the depolymerization of lignin into reaction intermediates and the
formation of phenolic compounds by breaking chemical bonds. This research
showed a method for preparing phenolic products by the molecular sieve
catalyzed depolymerization of lignin.