Methods for electroreductive lignin depolymerization
AssigneeBoard of Trustees of Michigan State University
InventorsEric Linke Hegg, James E. Jackson, Zhen Fang
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Abstract
The disclosure relates to a method for depolymerizing lignin. Prior to depolymerization, a lignin compound such as an isolated lignin with little or no crosslinking is oxidized. Lignin depolymerization includes electrochemically reducing the oxidized lignin compound by application of an electrical current through a reaction medium containing the oxidized lignin compound therein. The reaction medium can be an aqueous electrolyte medium including water, a lower alkanol solvent, an electrolyte, and a base or other pH-adjusting agent to maintain the reaction medium at an alkaline pH during electroreductive cleavage.
Claims24
A method for depolymerizing lignin, the method comprising:
- oxidizing a lignin compound to form an oxidized lignin compound;
- and
- electrochemically reducing the oxidized lignin compound to depolymerize the oxidized lignin compound and to form a depolymerized lignin product having a reduced molecular weight relative to the lignin compound prior to electrochemical reduction.
A method for depolymerizing lignin, the method comprising:
- providing an oxidized lignin compound;
- and
- electrochemically reducing the oxidized lignin compound to depolymerize the oxidized lignin compound and to form a depolymerized lignin product having a reduced molecular weight relative to the lignin compound prior to electrochemical reduction,
- wherein the oxidized lignin compound comprises a water- or acid-soluble lignin fraction obtained from one or more biomass pretreatment methods.
-42. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.