Lignin is an important renewable source of phenolic products. In this study, alkali lignin was depolymerized to produce phenolic compounds. The effects of catalyst, solvent, reaction time, and reaction temperature on the yields of liquid products and volatile fractions were investigated in detail. Compared with the solvents water and octane, alcohols can significantly promote depolymerization o...

*Correspondence: Jalel Labidi , Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department, University of the Basque Country, Plaza Europa 1, San Sebastián 20018, Spain e-mail: [email protected] Organosolv lignin, obtained from olive tree pruning under optimized conditions, was subjected to a hydrothermal depolymerization process catalyzed by sodium hydroxide. The depolymerization of lignin was carrie...

We studied the effect of manganese and various organic chelators on the distribution, depolymerization, and mineralization of synthetic 14C-labeled lignins (DHP) in cultures of Phanerochaete chrysosporium. In the presence of high levels of manganese [Mn(II) or Mn(III)], along with a suitable chelator, lignin peroxidase (LiP) production was repressed and manganese peroxidase (MnP) production was...

Lignin is a recalcitrant and underexploited natural feedstock for aromatic commodity chemicals, and its degradation generally requires the use of high temperatures and harsh reaction conditions. Herein we present an ambient temperature one-pot process for the controlled oxidation and depolymerization of this potent resource. Harnessing the potential of electrocatalytic oxidation in conjugation ...

This study describes the composition and metabolic potential of a lignocellulosic biomass degrading community that decays poplar wood chips under anaerobic conditions. We examined the community that developed on poplar biomass in a non-aerated bioreactor over the course of a year, with no microbial inoculation other than the naturally occurring organisms on the woody material. The composition o...

BACKGROUND To expand on the range of products which can be obtained from lignocellulosic biomass, the lignin component should be utilized as feedstock for value-added chemicals such as substituted aromatics, instead of being incinerated for heat and energy. Enzymes could provide an effective means for lignin depolymerization into products of interest. In this study, soil bacteria were isolated ...

This article reported a novel low-temperature process for aromatics production through lignin depolymerization catalyzed by 0.1 wt% Pd-zeolite Y catalyst prepared by a facile method. Under the same reactive condition, the as-prepared Pd-zeolite Y catalysts exhibited much higher catalytic efficiency than zeolite Y or commercial Pd/Al2O3–zeolite composites. The selectivity of the Pd-zeolite Y tow...

The directed depolymerization of lignin biopolymers is of utmost relevance for the valorization or commercialization of biomass fuels. We present a computational and theoretical screening approach to identify potential cleavage pathways and resulting fragments that are formed during depolymerization of lignin oligomers containing two to six monomers. We have developed a chemical discovery techn...

Depolymerizing lignin, the complex phenolic polymer fortifying plant cell walls, is an essential but challenging starting point for the lignocellulosics industries. The variety of ether- and carbon-carbon interunit linkages produced via radical coupling during lignification limit chemical and biological depolymerization efficiency. In an ancient fungus-cultivating termite system, we reveal unpr...

The recently developed protocol for isolating enzymatic mild acidolysis lignins (EMAL) coupled with the novel combination of derivatization followed by reductive cleavage (DFRC) and quantitative (31)P NMR spectroscopy were used to better understand the lignin isolation process from wood. The EMAL protocol is shown to offer access at lignin samples that are more representative of the overall lig...