Catalytic conversion of lignin in birch sawdust into aromatic monomers over Co/C-N catalyst under lignin first strategy

The lignin-first strategy is a crucial approach for highly efficient depolymerization of lignin to produce aromatic monomers as the condensation of lignin occurred during the separating process which increased the difficulty in depolymerization. In this work, a cobalt atom clusters supported on nitrogen-doped carbon catalysts (Co/NC-15) was prepared by adjusting the dosage of melamine to control the morphology, structure, and pyridinic nitrogen content of the catalysts. DFT calculations based on lignin model showed that the doping of nitrogen increased the adsorption energy of the lignin on the supports and decreased the dissociation energy of C-O bonds. Under lignin first strategy, Co/NC-15 exhibited good ability to break C-O bonds at 220 °C of mild condition, in which 84.32 wt% of lignin in lignocellulosic biomass was converted into 40.62 wt% of aromatic monomers, while 84.02 wt% of cellulose was preserved. The atom clusters Co/NC-15 exhibited good catalytic activity to lignin depolymerization due to efficient cleavage of C-O bonds, and hence showed the promising prospect in potential industrial application.