Yoshiyuki Uruma*a,
Tomohiro Yamadab,
Tsubasa Kojimaa,
Tianyuan Zhangb,
Chen Quc,
Moe Ishiharaa,
Takashi Watanabec,
Kan Wakamatsud and
Hirofumi Maekawab
aDepartment of Integrated Engineering, Chemistry and Biochemistry Division, National Institute of Technology, Yonago College, 4448, Hikona-cho, Yonago City, Tottori 683-8502, Japan. E-mail: uruma@yonago-k.ac.jp
bDepartment of Materials Science and Technology, Nagaoka University of Technology, 1603-1, Kamitomioka-cho, Nagaoka, Niigata 940-2188, Japan
cResearch Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
dDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science, 1-1 Ridaicho, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-0005, Japan
First published on 14th June 2023
Woody biomass comprising cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin has been the focus of considerable attention as an alternative energy source to fossil fuel for various applications. However, lignin has a complex structure, which is difficult to degrade. Typically, lignin degradation is studied using β-O-4 lignin model compounds as lignin contains a large number of β-O-4 bonds. In this study, we investigated the degradation of the following lignin model compounds via organic electrolysis: 2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanol 1a, 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanediol 2a, and 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanediol 3a. The electrolysis was conducted for 2.5 h at a constant current of 0.2 A using a carbon electrode. Various degradation products such as 1-phenylethane-1,2-diol, vanillin, and guaiacol were identified upon separation via silica-gel column chromatography. The degradation reaction mechanisms were elucidated using electrochemical results as well as density functional theory calculations. The results suggest that the organic electrolytic reaction can be used for the degradation reaction of a lignin model with β-O-4 bonds.
However, the complex structure of woody biomass makes its applications challenging. Efficient lignin degradation is required for effectively using woody biomass. Lignin has a complex structure of C–C bonds or C–O bonds in phenylpropane units such as syringyl, guaiacyl, and hydroxyphenyl (Table 1).4
The β-O-4 bond is characteristic of lignin, and many studies have been conducted on the oxidative lignin degradation of the β-O-4 bonds in lignin.5 For example, lignin peroxidase, manganese peroxidase, and laccase isolated from white-rot fungi are lignin-degrading enzymes. Lignin degradation by lignin peroxidase reduces methylated lignin and cleaves the Cα–Cβ bond in the side chain.6,7
Nonaka et al. used a different method for the β-O-4 bond cleavage. They subjected lignin to organic electrolytic reactions under mild conditions without special reagents or catalysts and reported four types of oxidative degradation products (Fig. 2). They also concluded that the generation of a single product is difficult and that a robust method for the separation of the degradation products is essential.8 For example, thermochemical decomposition of lignin using a catalyst and internal heating, which are energy-saving and mild conditions, resulted in low yield and lack of reaction selectivity (Fig. 3).9
Gao et al. investigated β-O-4 lignin model compounds via electrochemical oxidation with an iodide ion mediator. They used 2,2-dimethoxy-2-arylacetaldehyde as a β-O-4 lignin model to investigate the electrochemical selective C–O bond cleavage.10 In this study, we analyzed the lignin degradation products of the following β-O-4-type lignin model compounds via constant current electrolysis: 2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethanol 1a, 1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanediol 2a, and 1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)-1,3-propanediol 3a. The experimental conditions (solvent, supporting salt, and electrodes) without additives were optimized. The degradation products were isolated using silica-gel column chromatography and the degradation mechanisms were elucidated via GC-MS analysis and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
Organic electrolysis reactions entail electron transfer (E process) and chemical reactions (C process). The product is obtained via an intermediate E process. Therefore, the selection of solvent and electrode is important.16 When a carbon (C) electrode was used, precipitates adhered to the electrode after 2 hours of electrolysis, and subsequent processes, such as an increase in voltage and electrolytic reaction temperature, were observed (Table 2).
Time (h) | 0 | 0.5 | 1 | 1.5 | 2 | 2.5 | 3 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Voltage (V) | 17 | 17 | 17 | 19 | 20 | 27 | 45 |
Temperature (°C) | 22 | 25 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 30 | 33 |
The endpoint of the reaction was set at 2.5 hours when the lignin model compound was used as much as possible in the reaction and disappeared, and the electrolysis reaction could be performed stably.
The reason why a little methanol was added to the electrolysis reaction was to suppress the increase in voltage (Fig. 4).
Therefore, 2.5 hours was considered optimal for electrolysis. The reaction was monitored by thin layer chromatography (TLC), which confirmed the complete degradation of the lignin model compound detected at Rf 0.22 (EtOAc/hexane 1:3), with a new spot appearing at Rf 0.00 that appeared to be a degradation product (Fig. 5).
Fig. 5 (a) Setup of the electrolysis equipment: DC power supply, carbon electrode, and electrolytic cell; (b) side-view and (c) top-view of the electrolysis cell. |
After each electrolysis, the electrode was checked, deposits were removed, and the electrode was polished. The thickness of the electrode was also measured after each electrolysis, and it was found that the electrode was corroded by about 0.1 mm after one reaction.
Initially, complete degradation of the raw materials was attempted. However, the reaction voltage increased because of the residues on the electrodes and, consequently, the temperature of the reaction solution increased. A stable electrolytic reaction was observed for only 2.5 h. The depth of immersion of the electrodes was varied to suppress the increase in the reaction temperature under mild reaction conditions. In the initial phase of the reaction, the solution in the electrolytic cell, which was initially colorless and transparent, turned brown. After extraction with ethyl acetate, the solvent was distilled under reduced pressure to afford a brown oily electrolyte mixture. The electrolyte was a mixture containing multiple components, and the degradation products were confirmed by TLC using a developing solvent of ethyl acetate:hexane = 1:2 with 1% acetic acid. Furthermore, electrolytic reactions of 2a and 3a, which have comparable structures to that of lignin, were performed. Guaiacol was isolated from 2a and its degradation reaction rate was 75% using CH3OH/CH3CN. In contrast, guaiacol and vanillin were isolated from 3a at a degradation rate of 65% (Table 3).
The assignment of degradation products were evaluated using 1H NMR spectroscopy and GC-MS. The cylindrical C electrode had a diameters of 0.8 cm. The plate Pt electrode has a size dimension of 20 mm × 10 mm × 0.5 mm. The C electrode (SEG-R, Nippon Carbon Co. Ltd) was immersed in the reaction solution at a depth of 1.2 cm from the surface. The reaction was conducted under constant current at a current density of 0.13 A cm−2. The reaction progression was monitored using TLC, and the products were isolated by silica-gel column chromatography. The degradation rate was calculated using eqn (1):
(1) |
In the case of using a Pt electrolyte, even though lignin model compounds degradation occurred, the reaction rate was low when a Pt electrode was used. Moreover, the reaction rate decreased in the absence of acetonitrile (Run 3). For 1a, the reaction rate was 82% in a mixed methanol/acetonitrile solvent, whereas it was 77% when only methanol was used. This is attributed to the excellent electrolytic oxidation observed in organic solvents with dielectric constants of ≥30.17 Notably, when the Pt electrode was used, even though the reaction rate was low, the degradation products were clean, and complex degradation products were not observed. This suggests that a large number of degradation products were generated in the electrolytic oxidation under harsh conditions in Runs 1 and 2. However, the structure elucidation of these products was difficult. Furthermore, the electrolytic oxidation of 2a, which has a similar β-O-4 bond to that in lignin model compound, proceeded at a reaction rate of 87%, and guaiacol was confirmed as a degradation product (Run 4). Similarly, guaiacol and vanillin were detected as the degradation products of 3a at reaction rates of ≥65% (Runs 6 and 7). The degradation products and samples were purified by silica-gel column chromatography and evaluated by GC-MS. The degradation products of 1a were determined to be 4-methoxy benzoic acid (B1), 4-methoxy benzaldehyde (B2), and 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol (B4) (Fig. 6).
Pardini et al. reported that the Cα–Cβ bond was cleaved during electrolysis using a mediator, yielding an aldehyde.12 As the guaiacyl-type benzene ring is electron-rich, cation radical species could be easily generated by a one-electron oxidation reaction. To prove that the guaiacol aromatic rings are more easily oxidized, we conducted cyclic voltammetry tests on 1a using 1-phenylethane-1,2-diol, 1-(4-methoxy)-ethane-1,2-diol, and 1,2-dimethoxybenzene as the standard materials (Table 4).
Substrate | Oxidation potentials |
---|---|
a Working electrode: Pt; counter electrode: Pt; reference electrode: Ag/AgCl; solvent: MeCN; supporting electrolyte: 0.1 M n-Bu4NClO4; scan rate: 0.2 V s−1. | |
1.47 V | |
1.85V | |
2.12 V | |
2.25 V | |
2.81 V | |
2.81 V | |
1.69 V | |
2.08 V | |
1.05 V | |
1.70 V | |
2.12 V |
The oxidation potentials of 1a were determined to be 1.47, 1.85, and 2.12 V, indicating that the guaiacyl-type aromatic rings were easily oxidized. This may be attributed to the presence of a methoxy group at the 4-position of the benzene ring. This suggests that a nucleophilic attack on the cationic species by MeOH affords an ortho-quinone acetal, and the subsequent electrogenerated acid-catalyzed transesterification of the acetal generates 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)ethane-1,2-diol.
We hypothesized that we could confirm the feasibility of using electrolysis for lignin degradation by investigating the degradation of a structure comparable to that of lignin (2a and 3a). The reactions were evaluated by GC-MS without separation to confirm the degradation products.
The GC-MS analysis of 2a and 3a is shown in Fig. 7. The blue and red spectra indicate the reaction electrolysis using Pt and C electrodes, respectively. The product mixture was evaluated by GC-MS without product isolation. The column temperature was programmed as follows: the temperature was initially maintained at 50 °C for 3 min, then increased at 3 °C min−1 to 300 °C and maintained for 7.5 min. In the case of 2a, guaiacol and methoxyvanillin were detected on both the Pt and C electrodes. When the reaction was performed at 6 F using a C electrode, a small amount of methoxyvanillin was detected, along with the main product guaiacol. Similarly, the decomposition of 3a yielded guaiacol as the major product, along with a small amount of methoxyvanillin, irrespective of the electrode type.
The degradation mechanism of 3a is shown in Scheme 3. Oxidation of the phenolic hydroxyl group to the quinone form leads to C–C bond cleavage owing to the electron transfer from the benzyl position. However, the intermediates have not yet been identified. Moreover, the easily oxidizable portion in 2a was difficult to identify, thus limiting our ability to elucidate its degradation mechanism. Therefore, computational studies were conducted.
The proposed degradation mechanism for 1a is outlined in Scheme 2. To gain more insight into the mechanism, DFT calculations were performed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level using the Gaussian 16 program.18 The natural population analysis19 of the radical cation of 1a (1a˙+) revealed that both charge and spin were nearly localized in the guaiacyl-type aromatic moiety (+0.95 for charge and 1.00 for spin in conformer 1, see Fig. S1 and S2†). Because the nucleophilic attack of MeOH may occur at several positions on the guaiacyl moiety, the elucidation of the degradation mechanism is challenging (see Scheme S1 and Table S1†). However, 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,2-ethanediol or its 2-methyl ether derivative is produced as a common intermediate at a sufficiently low oxidation potential. The 1,2-diol derivative was immediately oxidized to 4-methoxybenzaldehyde and methyl 4-methoxybenzoate. 4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol was likely formed via hydrogen transfer from the MeOH adduct of the aldehyde radical cation to the neutral form of the aldehyde; however, further investigation is required (Scheme 4).
The proposed degradation mechanisms of 2a and 3a are outlined in Schemes 5 and 3. Both charge and spin of the radical cations of 2a (2a˙+) and 3a (3a˙+) are mainly distributed in the 3,4-dimethoxybenzylic or 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzylic moiety (+0.81 (2a˙+) and +0.66 (3a˙+) for charge; 0.84 (2a˙+) and 0.68 (3a˙+) for spin in conformer 2, see Fig. S1 and S2†). The 2a˙+ moiety can react with MeOH to afford 3a˙+ and Me2O exergonically (ΔG = −6.11 kcal mol−1). Proton abstraction from the hydroxy group of 3a˙+ yields the corresponding neutral radical, which undergoes oxidation to produce the quinoid cation 4+. The oxonium cationic center would facilitate the cleavage of the central C–C bond to produce 5, which isomerizes to vanillin and 6+ (ΔG = −7.32 kcal mol−1). Fragment 6+ reacts with MeOH to form an acetal intermediate, which is then hydrolyzed to produce guaiacol.
This new finding differs from previous reports of electrolytic reactions with oxidants. Investigation into the applications of these degradation products is currently underway.
Footnote |
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ra02486e |
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2023 |