In a future economy relying on biorefineries to produce cellulose-derived bioethanol as a major liquid fuel source, lignin will be a high volume, renewable byproduct that is often burned. This project addresses the challenge of increasing the efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass utilization by elucidating pathways for the production of aromatic chemicals and fuels from waste lignin feedstocks. We have previously shown that copper-doped porous metal oxides (PMOs) derived from hydrotalcite precursors prepared from Earth-abundant materials are effective catalysts for the reductive disassembly of organosolv lignin and also of lignocellulose composites such as sawdust without production of chars. This talk will describe ongoing mechanistic studies designed to provide rational guidelines for enhancing the selectivity and reactivity of this catalytic system.

Reductive disassembly of lignin to fuels and chemicals with porous metal oxide catalysts

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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