Energy & Fuels, Vol.31, No.10, 10842-10849, 2017
Autocatalytic Depolymerization of Alkali Lignin by Organic Bound Sodium in Supercritical Ethanol
To study the catalytic depolymerization process of alkali lignin by organic bound sodium in supercritical ethanol, the solid chars and liquid oils products were first prepared by using a high pressure autoclave at different temperatures and times. The properties of solid chars then were analyzed by elemental analysis, FT-IR, and SEM, and the composition of liquid oils was characterized by GC-MS. FT-IR and SEM results showed that the depolymerization process of alkali lignin catalyzed by organic bound sodium in sub- and supercritical ethanol formed different micrometer-sized spheres products, and the sphere size of the char products was obviously affected by the depolymerized temperature. The C/O and C/H ratios of the chars products also increased with depolymerized temperature increasing. GC-MS results indicated that the components of liquid oils obtained from sub- and supercritical ethanol mainly were ester and phenolic compounds, respectively.