Electrooxidation of lignin to produce value-added chemicals as an effective valorization technique
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URL
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
School of Chemical Engineering |
Master's thesis
Authors
Date
2024-11-07
Department
Major/Subject
Chemical and Process Engineering
Mcode
Degree programme
Master's Programme in Chemical, Biochemical and Materials Engineering
Language
en
Pages
52
Series
Abstract
The growing demand for alternative energy sources and sustainable industrial processes has highlighted the potential of lignin, a byproduct of biorefineries and pulp production, as a valuable feedstock for the production of high-value chemicals. This study explores the electro-oxidation of lignin as a green, efficient method for lignin valorization under ambient conditions. By employing a metal-based catalyst, the process successfully degrades lignin into aromatic compounds such as 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (DHB), vanillin (VA), 2-methoxy-4-vinyl phenol (MVP), and 4-hydroxy-3,5-dimethox-ybenzaldehyde (HDMB), with the yield of 5.41%, 1.08%, 1.01% and 1.00%, respectively. The overall yield of lignin conversion reached 11.17%, with 9.72% being aromatic products, aligning with and surpassing existing literature values. Cyclic voltammetry confirmed the successful oxidation of lignin and provided insights into the mass-transfer-controlled reaction mechanism. Additionally, gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis showed a significant reduction in lignin molecular weight from 4333 g/mol to 551 g/mol, further validating the degradation of lignin into smaller compounds. These results demonstrate the potential of electro-oxidation as an effective method for lignin valorization, contributing to the circular economy by transforming a low-value byproduct into commercially relevant compounds. Future research will focus on optimizing the process conditions and exploring its scalability for industrial applications, as well as refining product separation techniques for downstream use.Description
Supervisor
Li, YongdanThesis advisor
Bagheri, MarziehKeywords
lignin valorization, electro-oxidation, metal-based catalyst, aromatic compounds, cyclic voltammetry, sustainable process