Catalytic Ethanolysis of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Lignin over an Unsupported Nickel Catalyst : The Effect of Reaction Conditions

The effect of reaction conditions on ethanolysis of enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL) with an unsupported nickel catalyst, that is, Ni(220H), was investigated. The two-dimensional heteronuclear single quantum coherence-nuclear magnetic resonance (2D-HSQC NMR) analysis of liquid products revealed that both the ether and C-C linkages in EHL were cleaved during the reaction and the ether linkages were completely cleaved under mild reaction conditions, while the cleavage of C-C linkages needed harsh reaction conditions. At 280 °C under 2 MPa H2 within 6 h, the highest aromatic monomer yield of 28.5 wt % was achieved. Further increasing the reaction temperature to 300 °C or decreasing the initial hydrogen pressure to 0 MPa was conducive to the repolymerization reaction. The ortho-alkyl phenol monomers originated from the alkyl free radicals produced from ethanol. Under 0 MPa H2, the hydrogenation of-HCâ CH-in side chains was inefficient, and hence, the decarboxylation and alkenyl elimination reactions of side chains were favorable.