Breaking the lignin conversion bottleneck for multiple products: Co-production of aryl monomers and carbon nanospheres using one-step catalyst-free depolymerization

Lignin is considered as a renewable and sustainable resource for producing value-added aromatic chemicals functional carbon materials. Herein, we develop one-step catalyst-free depolymerization strategy to convert lignin into aryl monomers nanospheres simultaneously. Importantly, microwave-assisted (MAD) in conjunction with dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) vapors developed. The total mass yield of guaiacols reached the highest amount 225.1 mg/g at 600 °C, yields phenols (49.0 mg/g) hydrocarbons (155.1 were obtained 700 °C. Hydrogen radicals hydrogen chloride (HCl) are in-situ formed from CH2Cl2, significantly decreasing activation barrier reforming pyrolysis promote formation monomers. Interestingly, uniform an average size 140 nm produced co-products microwave “hot-spots”, allied continuous surface erosion decrease energy lignin-derived precursors by CH2Cl2 vapor, can be driving force ultimate nanospheres. CH2Cl2/MAD system produces (26.8 wt% yield) (36.6 We provide facile, intriguing scalable approach valuable materials that applied chemistry, environmental fields.