Catalytic conversion of lignin-related compounds into useful chemicals

烷基苯是生产药品、塑料、有机EL器件等工业上重要的原料，但目前都是从不可再生的石油中获得。生物质木质素是一种丰富的天然芳香族聚合物，被认为是一种很有前途的烷基苯类可再生资源。在本研究中，我们开发了氧化锆负载的Pt-Re催化剂，用于木质素相关酚在水中的加氢脱氧，以获得良好的收率和选择性烷基苯。

Alkylbenznes are industrially important feedstocks for producing pharmaceuticals, plastics, and organic EL devices etc. However, they are currently obtained from non-renewable petroleum. Biomass lignin is an abundant natural aromatic polymer and considered as a promising renewable resource of alkylbenzenes. In this research, we developed zirconia-supported Pt-Re catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-related phenols in water to give alkylbenzene in excellent yield and selectivity.