Synthesis of CoFeO mixed oxides via an alginate gelation process as efficient heterogeneous catalysts for lignin depolymerization in water

Abstract

A catalytic oxidative fragmentation of a lignin dimer and polymer extracted from wheat straw was successfully performed under eco-friendly conditions: 10% O₂/N₂ as the oxidizing agent, water as the solvent (pH ≈ 7), and Co₃O₄, Fe₂O₃ and CoFeO mixed oxides as heterogeneous catalysts and at temperatures of T = 150 °C and 200 °C. These catalysts unexpectedly showed tunable selectivity that directly depends on the composition of the selected bimetallic nanoparticles. High selectivity for benzoic acid and alkylbenzene (above 50%) was observed over Co₅₀–Fe₅₀ at 200 °C. Under similar conditions, the conversion of wheat organosolv lignin over Co₅₀–Fe₅₀ at 150 °C for 4 h yielded up to 50 wt% of monomeric species (based on dry lignin) and up to 19% of aromatic molecules with high selectivity to aromatic aldehydes (syringaldehyde and vanillin), up to 60%. An important fraction of water-soluble oligomers, with low molecular weights, was also formed during the catalytic treatment. The oxide nanomaterials were readily separated from the residual lignin during the recyclability test. The yield and the product distribution can be tuned by choosing the oxidation parameters: temperature, reaction time, oxygen partial pressure, solvent and catalyst charges.