Lignin depolymerisation and doxygenation process for obtaining aromatic compounds and their catalytic reaction composition

A process of lignin depolymerisation and deoxygenation for obtaining aromatic compounds, the process comprising:

• dissolving a lignin in a protic liquid, creating a dissolved protic lignin mixture that includes at least partially depolymerized lignin soluble in the protic liquid;
• reacting the dissolved protic lignin mixture in a continuous flow reaction system at either an inert or reducing atmosphere, to form a dissolved lignin protic product, by passing a continuous flow of the dissolved protic lignin mixture mixed with at least one of an inert gas and a reducing gas through a fixed bed tubular reactor packed with a catalytic composition at a determined spatial time liquid hourly space velocity, pressure and temperature, the catalytic composition comprising a non-noble element of Group VIIIB of the periodic table, the non-noble element supported in a support material, the support material comprising a material selected from a group consisting of alumina, silica or a combination thereof;
• and
• passing the dissolved lignin protic product through a cationic exchange resin followed by an anionic exchange resin in order to eliminate impurities, the impurities including a group of inorganic cations including Na, K and La and a group of ions including SO4 and Cl;
• wherein the determined reaction temperature is between 40° C. to 320° C., inclusive, the determined operation pressure is from 5 kg/cm2 to 100 kg/cm2, inclusive;
• and
• wherein reacting the dissolved protic lignin mixture in the continuous flow system produces a plurality of deoxygenated aromatic hydrocarbons by thermal and catalytic depolymerisation and deoxygenation.