Fabrication of lignin-MOF derived spherical carbon supported NiCo-bimetallic catalysts for selective hydrogenolysis...

The conversion of abundant lignin was of great significance for the utilization of biomass resources. In this study, lignin sulfonate (LS) was selected as a carbon-based support, which was successfully introduced into the NiCo-MOF structure. A series of lignin and MOF hybrid catalysts (Ni_nCo-MOF-LS) with varying metal ratios of Ni and Co were synthesized via the hydrothermal method. Subsequently, the catalytic hydrogenolysis of lignin-derived dimers was conducted over a range of Ni_nCo-MOF-LS, with the impact of calcination temperature and lignin addition in the catalysts taken into account. The selective conversion of benzyl phenyl ether (BPE) and other lignin dimers was achieved over the Ni_nCo-MOF-LS catalyst with isopropanol serving as the hydrogen donor solvent in a nitrogen atmosphere. The Ni/Co metal ratio and calcination temperature were found to have a significant impact on the catalytic performance. Through a comprehensive investigation of various reaction parameters, including temperature, pressure, reaction time, and reaction solvent, it was determined that the catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic activity in the selective hydrogenolysis of BPE to cycloalkane and cyclohexanol. The optimal reaction conditions (240 °C, 4 h, 3 MPa N₂) were found to be conducive to the effective conversion of BPE into methylcyclohexane and cyclohexanol. The combination of lignin and metal-organic framework represented a novel approach to the utilization of lignin resources and the upgrading of biomass-derived chemicals.