(687c) Catalytic Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Biomass

Lignocellulosic biomass contains cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, and cellulose is encapsulated in an amorphous, cross-linked hemicellulose/pectin matrix in primary cell walls and a hemicellulose/lignin matrix in secondary cell walls. This structural arrangement gives plants their strength and rigidity, and it makes cellulose highly resistant to biological and chemical attack. Selective fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass towards different components is the key to achieve the valorization of the whole biomass. However, the traditional fractionation methods focused on utilization of cellulose and hemicellulose. Lignin is usually treated as a waste due to partial depolymerization and repolymerization toward recalcitrant structure, which hampers depolymerization of lignin. In the presentation, it will show the works we have done for catalytic fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass to obtain highly reactive lignin (i.e., contains high beta-O-4 bond) without losing the value of hemicellulose and cellulose.