Abundant, underutilized, and rich in aromatic content, lignocellulose is the ideal source of sustainable chemical feedstocks. We have previously developed a copper doped porous metal oxide (CuPMO) catalyst capable of completely liquefying lignocellulose in supercritical methanol (s.c.-MeOH) without the production of char. Here we report the ability to tune both the reactivity and selectivity with the addition of both homogenous and heterogeneous Lewis acids and homogenous Bronsted acids. The products of hydrogenation and methylation using β-O-4 and β-5 model compounds were analyzed using GC-MS and GC-FID techniques and products of biomass and organosolv lignin were analyzed using NMR, GPC, and LC-MS. This work demonstrates the aromaticity of the reaction products can be preserved through selective catalytic modifications. These studies are supported by the Center for the Sustainable Use of Renewable Feedstocks (CenSURF), a National Science Foundation CCI (CHE-1240194).

Enhancing the reactivity of CuPMOs with Lewis and Bronstead acids towards desired products from lignin model compounds and biomass

251st National Meeting (2016)

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