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Updated: Jul 27, 2025

Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass using the OrganoCat Process
Published on: June 5, 2021
Hydrogen-Transfer Reductive Catalytic Fractionation of Lignocellulose: High Monomeric Yield with Switchable
Yilin Li1, Yanyan Yu1, Yuhan Lou1
1Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology (Northeast Forestry University), Ministry of Education, Harbin, 150040, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Lignin solubilization and in situ hydrogenolysis are crucial for reductive catalytic fractionation (RCF) of lignocellulose to aromatic monomers. In this study, we reported a typical hydrogen bond acceptor of choline chloride (ChCl) to tailor the hydrogen-donating environment of the Ru/C-catalyzed hydrogen-transfer RCF of lignocellulose. The ChCl-tailored hydrogen-transfer RCF of lignocellulose was conducted under mild temperature and low-pressure (<1 bar) conditions, which was applicable to other lignocellulosic biomass sources. We obtained an approximate theoretical yield of propylphenol monomer of 59.2 wt % and selectivity of 97.3 % using an optimal content of ChCl (10 wt %) in ethylene glycol at 190 °C for 8 h. When the content of ChCl in ethylene glycol was increased to 110 wt %, the selectivity of propylphenol switched toward propylenephenol (yield of 36.2 wt % and selectivity of 87.6 %). The findings in this work provide valuable information for transforming lignin from lignocellulose into value-added products.
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