A Review of Microwave Assisted Liquefaction of Ligninin Hydrogen Donor Solvents: Effect of Solvents and Catalysts

Lignin, a renewable source of aromatic chemicals in nature, has attracted increasing attention due to its structure and application prospect. Catalytic solvolysis has developed as a promising method for the production of value-added products from lignin. The liquefaction process is closely associated with heating methods, catalysts and solvents. Microwave assisted lignin liquefaction in hydrogen donor solvent with the presence of catalysts has been confirmed to be effective to promote the production of liquid fuels or fine chemicals. A great number of researchers should be greatly appreciated on account of their contributions on the progress of microwave technology in lignin liquefaction. In this study, microwave assisted liquefaction of lignin in a hydrogen donor solvent is extensively overviewed, concerning the effect of different solvents and catalysts. This review concludes that microwave assisted liquefaction is a promising technology for the valorization of lignin, which could reduce the reaction time, decrease the reaction temperature, and finally fulfill the utilization of lignin in a relatively mild condition. In the future, heterogeneous catalysts with high catalytic activity and stability need to be prepared to achieve the need for large-scale production of high-quality fuels and value-added chemicals from lignin.

[1]  Yan Li,et al.  Optimizing the conditions for the microwave-assisted direct liquefaction of Ulva prolifera for bio-oil production using response surface methodology , 2013 .

[2]  R. Ruan,et al.  Low-Power Microwave Radiation-assisted Depolymerization of Ethanol Organosolv Lignin in Ethanol/Formic Acid Mixtures , 2017 .

[3]  L. Hongqiang,et al.  Microwave-Assisted Conversion of Lignin , 2015 .

[4]  B. Saake,et al.  Catalytic demethylation of organosolv lignin in aqueous medium using indium triflate under microwave irradiation , 2017 .

[5]  Luis Serrano,et al.  Heterogeneously Catalysed Mild Hydrogenolytic Depolymerisation of Lignin Under Microwave Irradiation with Hydrogen‐Donating Solvents , 2013 .

[6]  X. Qiu,et al.  Microwave-assisted selective cleavage of CαCβ bond for lignin depolymerization , 2017 .

[7]  Yuhuan Liu,et al.  Catalytic effects of various acids on microwave-assisted depolymerization of organosolv lignin , 2017 .

[8]  Tingting You,et al.  Microwave-assisted efficient depolymerization of alkaline lignin in methanol/formic acid media. , 2018, Bioresource technology.

[9]  Oliver Richard Inderwildi,et al.  Liquid fuels, hydrogen and chemicals from lignin: A critical review , 2013 .

[10]  E. Jong,et al.  Co-ordination network for lignin—standardisation, production and applications adapted to market requirements (EUROLIGNIN) , 2004 .

[11]  D. Stewart.  Lignin as a base material for materials applications: Chemistry, application and economics , 2008 .

[12]  Farid Nasir Ani,et al.  Microwave induced pyrolysis of oil palm biomass. , 2011, Bioresource technology.

[13]  R. Vinu,et al.  Understanding lignin depolymerization to phenols via microwave-assisted solvolysis process , 2017 .

[14]  Tiejun Wang,et al.  Insight into the solvent, temperature and time effects on the hydrogenolysis of hydrolyzed lignin. , 2016, Bioresource technology.

[15]  Regina Palkovits,et al.  Depolymerization of cellulose using solid catalysts in ionic liquids. , 2008, Angewandte Chemie.

[16]  G. Huber,et al.  Catalytic Transformation of Lignin for the Production of Chemicals and Fuels. , 2015, Chemical reviews.

[17]  Meng Zhang,et al.  Methods to improve lignin’s reactivity as a phenol substitute and as replacement for other phenolic compounds: A brief review , 2011, BioResources.

[18]  Jie Chang,et al.  Hydrothermal conversion of lignin: A review , 2013 .

[19]  Paul Chen,et al.  Bio-oil from fast pyrolysis of lignin: Effects of process and upgrading parameters. , 2017, Bioresource technology.

[20]  Tiejun Wang,et al.  Investigation on the structural effect of lignin during the hydrogenolysis process. , 2016, Bioresource technology.

[21]  T. Westover,et al.  Biomass Feedstocks for Renewable Fuel Production: A Review of the Impacts of Feedstock and Pretreatment on the Yield and Product Distribution of Fast Pyrolysis Bio‐Oils and Vapors , 2014 .

[22]  Jiajun Fan,et al.  Efficient Method of Lignin Isolation Using Microwave-Assisted Acidolysis and Characterization of the Residual Lignin , 2017 .

[23]  Hyunjoon Lee,et al.  Efficient depolymerization of lignin in supercritical ethanol by a combination of metal and base catalysts , 2018 .

[24]  Prasant Kumar Rout,et al.  Production of first and second generation biofuels: A comprehensive review , 2010 .

[25]  H. J. Heeres,et al.  Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation and hydrocracking of Alcell® lignin in alcohol/formic acid mixtures using a Ru/C catalyst , 2015 .

[26]  Luis Serrano,et al.  Microwave-assisted depolymerisation of organosolv lignin via mild hydrogen-free hydrogenolysis: Catalyst screening , 2014 .

[27]  Junhai Liu,et al.  Process optimization for microwave-assisted direct liquefaction of Sargassum polycystum C.Agardh using response surface methodology. , 2012, Bioresource technology.

[28]  C. Xu,et al.  Reductive de-polymerization of kraft lignin with formic acid at low temperatures using inexpensive supported Ni-based catalysts , 2017 .

[29]  X. Qiu,et al.  Microwave assisted liquefaction of wheat straw alkali lignin for the production of monophenolic compounds , 2015 .

[30]  Jaehoon Kim,et al.  Depolymerization of concentrated sulfuric acid hydrolysis lignin to high-yield aromatic monomers in basic sub- and supercritical fluids , 2017 .

[31]  Anthony V. Bridgwater,et al.  Production of renewable phenolic resins by thermochemical conversion of biomass: a review , 2008 .

[32]  H. Ngo,et al.  A mini review on renewable sources for biofuel. , 2014, Bioresource technology.

[33]  Gerald A. Tuskan,et al.  Lignin Valorization: Improving Lignin Processing in the Biorefinery , 2014, Science.

[34]  J. Wen,et al.  A facile method for char elimination during base-catalyzed depolymerization and hydrogenolysis of lignin , 2017 .

[35]  J. Labidi,et al.  Lignin liquefaction under microwave heating , 2013 .

[36]  C. Hse,et al.  Characterization of Biobased Polyurethane Foams Employing Lignin Fractionated from Microwave Liquefied Switchgrass , 2017 .

[37]  J. Wen,et al.  Unmasking the structural features and property of lignin from bamboo , 2013 .

[38]  Q. Zhang,et al.  Production of phenols and biofuels by catalytic microwave pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. , 2012, Bioresource technology.

[39]  B. Weckhuysen,et al.  The catalytic valorization of lignin for the production of renewable chemicals. , 2010, Chemical reviews.

[40]  Qi Zhang,et al.  Catalytic depolymerization of lignin for liquefied fuel at mild condition by rare earth metals loading on CNT , 2017 .

[41]  D. Suh,et al.  Production of phenolic hydrocarbons using catalytic depolymerization of empty fruit bunch (EFB)-derived organosolv lignin on Hβ-supported Ru , 2017 .

[42]  Rui Xiao,et al.  An Overview on Fast Pyrolysis of the Main Constituents in Lignocellulosic Biomass to Valued‐Added Chemicals: Structures, Pathways and Interactions , 2016 .

[43]  R. Luque,et al.  Insights into the Microwave-Assisted Mild Deconstruction of Lignin Feedstocks Using NiO-Containing ZSM-5 Zeolites , 2016 .

[44]  Lujia Han,et al.  Comparative study of conventional and microwave-assisted liquefaction of corn stover in ethylene glycol , 2011 .

[45]  C. Crestini,et al.  Oxidative upgrade of lignin – Recent routes reviewed , 2013 .

[46]  D. Shen,et al.  Lignin depolymerization to aromatic monomers and oligomers in isopropanol assisted by microwave heating , 2017 .

[47]  R. Xiao,et al.  Catalytic solvolysis of lignin with the modified HUSYs in formic acid assisted by microwave heating , 2015 .

[48]  Junming Xu,et al.  Renewable chemical feedstocks from integrated liquefaction processing of lignocellulosic materials using microwave energy. , 2012 .

[49]  Dongpo Chen,et al.  Microwave‐assisted hydrothermal liquefaction of lignin for the preparation of phenolic formaldehyde adhesive , 2017 .

[50]  R. Ruan,et al.  Comparative study on various alcohols solvolysis of organosolv lignin using microwave energy: Physicochemical and morphological properties , 2017 .

[51]  C. Hse,et al.  Effect of Lignin Derivatives in the Bio-Polyols from Microwave Liquefied Bamboo on the Properties of Polyurethane Foams , 2013 .

[52]  Yuhuan Liu,et al.  Microwave-assisted Depolymerization of Lignin with Metal Chloride in a Hydrochloric Acid and Formic Acid System , 2018 .

[53]  F. G. Calvo-Flores,et al.  Lignin as renewable raw material. , 2010, ChemSusChem.

[54]  Juan Carlos Serrano-Ruiz,et al.  Transformations of Biomass-Derived Platform Molecules: From High Added-Value Chemicals to Fuels via Aqueous-Phase Processing , 2012 .

[55]  R. Luque,et al.  Lignin Depolymerisation Strategies: Towards Valuable Chemicals and Fuels , 2015 .

[56]  S. Gu,et al.  Catalytic Oxidation of Lignin in Solvent Systems for Production of Renewable Chemicals: A Review , 2017, Polymers.

[57]  U. Kim,et al.  Conversion of Lignin to Phenol-Rich Oil Fraction under Supercritical Alcohols in the Presence of Metal Catalysts , 2015 .

[58]  Zumar M. A. Bundhoo,et al.  Microwave-assisted conversion of biomass and waste materials to biofuels , 2018 .

[59]  Yoon-Yul Park,et al.  Manageable Conversion of Lignin to Phenolic Chemicals Using a Microwave Reactor in the Presence of Potassium Hydroxide , 2013 .

[60]  A. Hejna,et al.  Biopolyols obtained via microwave-assisted liquefaction of lignin: structure, rheological, physical and thermal properties , 2018, Wood Science and Technology.

[61]  B. Sharma,et al.  Microwave Assisted Depolymerization of Alkaline Lignin over Hydrotalcite-Based CuNiAl Mixed Oxides , 2018, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.