Photocatalytic oxidation of lignin model compounds to benzaldehyde and phenol: a preliminary study on extracted lignin

Abstract

The conversion of lignin to aromatic compounds constitutes one of the core issues in the utilization of biomass resources. In this study, a metal-free solid acid as a catalyst induces the C–C/C–O bond cleavage of lignin to obtain high-yield monocyclic aromatic compounds, which have the potential for resource conversion. Among them, 2-phenoxy-1-phenylethanol was used as a model compound to explore the possible mechanism of the reaction.