Ethanolysis of Kraft lignin to platform chemicals on a MoC1-x/Cu-MgAlOz catalyst

•A MoC1-x/Cu-MgAlOz catalyst is employed in lignin conversion.•The products include alcohols, esters, and aromatic compounds.•Aromatic compounds are achieved in a high yield.•High temperature favors the conversion of Kraft lignin.•The catalyst can be reused for at least 4 runs.

The complete conversion of Kraft lignin is examined over a MoC1-x/Cu-MgAlOz catalyst in pure ethanol to give value-added chemicals with small molecular weight, including C6 alcohols, C8C10 esters, benzyl alcohols and arenes, without the formation of char or tar. MoC1-x/Cu-MgAlOz exhibited much higher activity than the previously reported MoC1-x/AC, CuMgAlOy and Cu-MgAlOz catalysts and achieved the highest yield of aromatic compounds, 575 mg/g lignin, at 330 °C. The complete cleavage of aryl-O bonds in phenols is observed at temperatures over 300 °C. Furthermore, the MoC1-x/Cu-MgAlOz catalyst is reusable with a 22.4% loss in the yield of aromatic compounds after 5 cyclic runs.

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