Use of catalyst prepared with a subgroup VI element for the production of organic chemicals and fuels from lignin

A process for the production of organic chemicals and fuels from lignin, comprising

• mixing the lignin with a molybdenum based catalyst and a solvent in a sealed reactor,
• introducing an inert gas to the reactor to replace oxygen therein, and
• heating the sealed reactor to perform a depolymerization reaction at a reaction temperature of 230-350° C. for 0.5-12 h to obtain liquid products comprising alcohols, esters, monophenols, benzyl alcohols and arenes;
• wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of deionized water, ethanol and a mixture of deionized water and ethanol;
• wherein the molybdenum based catalyst is a supported or an unsupported catalyst comprising molybdenum as an active metal;
• wherein the supported catalyst is expressed as AxBy/C, wherein A represents molybdenum which has a loading amount of 1-80 wt. % of the supported catalyst, B represents carbon, phosphorus or nitrogen, and C represents the support of the catalyst selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxide (Al2O3), activated carbon (AC), silicon dioxide (SiO2), silicon carbide (SiC), zeolites and nano-carbon fiber, 0<x≦2 and 0<y≦3;
• wherein the unsupported catalyst is expressed as AxBy, wherein A represents molybdenum, B represents carbon, phosphorus or nitrogen, 0<x≦2, and 0<y≦3;
• wherein the lignin includes alkali lignin, Klason lignin, milled wood lignin and organosolv lignin;
• wherein the inert gas is nitrogen, argon or helium;
• and
• wherein the mixture of deionized water and ethanol comprises 10-50% of ethanol by volume.