Transformation of Corn Lignin into Sun Cream Ingredients

Abstract

Production of value-added chemicals from lignocellulose is one of the key strands of the emerging bio-economy. A synthetic approach has been developed to produce p-methoxy coumarate esters from waste corn stover and corn bran, and further transform these compounds into consumer products. In the first step, p-coumaric acid (pCA) and ferulic acid (FA) are released through mild alkaline hydrolysis of corn waste, in more than 20 mg g À 1 yield (10 wt % based on lignin content). Subsequently, heterogeneous solid acids catalyze the esterification of pCA with various alcohols. Amberlite IR-15 shows the best catalytic performance, owing to its optimal acid density, large surface area, and suitable pore diameter. The solid acid catalyst can be recycled with slight activity loss and regenerated by acid washing and vacuum drying. Finally, methylation of p-coumarate ester to give target product p-methoxy coumarate esters is carried out by using commercially available and low-cost inorganic bases (e. g., K 2 CO 3). Base-catalyzed transesterification of methyl p-methoxy coumarate to p-methoxy coumarate esters is also investigated.

Combined Electrocatalytic Oxidation and Reduction to Selectively Cleave β-O-4 Linkage of Lignin over Platinum Electrode in Organic Solvent: Secondary Treatment Opportunity for CELF Process

“…The peaks appearing from 1600 to 1420 cm –1 (blue-shaded) are related to the vibration of aromatic rings. − In the final samples, the vibration due to aromatic rings is more intense, which shows that more aromatic groups appear due to the cleavage of more interlinkage units. Also, for the initial lignin sample, the peaks at 1267 and 1155 cm –1 are due to the stretching of the Ar–O–C group in the β-O-4 linkage. − The intensity of these peaks also decreases over time (pink-shaded), and in the final time samples, these peaks are absent. In the region of 1030–860 cm –1 (green-shaded), there is an appearance of a new peak due to the C–O aryl ether stretch during the experiment.…”

“…The absorption peak that appears at 2925 cm –1 in all samples is due to the vibration of a methoxy (R-O-CH 3 ) group. − The peaks at 1665 and 1515 cm –1 in the initial sample are due to the vibration of (CO) keto and (CC) aryl groups (blue-shaded). ,, The intensity of these peaks also decreases over time. Moreover, the peak at 1267 cm –1 (pink-shaded) is due to the stretching of the Ar–O–C group in the β-O-4 linkage. − This peak disappeared over the course of the experiment. In addition, there is an appearance of a new peak at 930 cm –1 (green-shaded) during the experiment.…”

Silica‐Supported 1st Row Transition Metal (Nano)Catalysts: Synthetic and Catalytic Insight

“…[31] Nevertheless, today, few processes for biomass transformation are well established in the industry and fewer are metal-based catalyzed. Production of biochar by pyrolysis, [32] transformation of corn lignin into sunscreen ingredients through acid catalysis, [33] and ionic liquid mediated valorization of lignin are some of the current industrial processes. [34,35] This offers opportunities to use 1 st row transition metals anchored on silica-based materials as catalysts for biomass upgrading.…”

Promoting Effect of Ni on the Catalytic Production of Alanine from Lactic Acid over RuNi/AC Catalyst

“…The overdependence on non-renewable fossil resources to produce energy and chemical products has caused serious environmental issues such as global climate changes, prompting us to search for sustainable alternatives. − To this end, extensive studies have been devoted to valorizing lignocellulose and the derived biomass feedstocks for fuels and chemicals because of their great abundance, low carbon footprint, easy accessibility, etc . − To date, a forest of hydrocarbons and organooxygen compounds have been obtained from various lignocellulosic feedstocks through different transformation strategies. ,− In addition to hydrocarbons and organooxygen products, organonitrogen chemicals are crucial in modern life. They have a wide range of applications, and their commercial values are higher than that of their organooxygen counterparts. , Hence, it is extremely beneficial to broaden the scope of biomass refinery toward useful organonitrogen chemicals, which will add variety to the biobased product stream, boost their economic feasibility and improve the sustainability of the supply chains compared to the conventional fossil-based routes. , …”