Issue 23/2018 - Copper-based catalyst efficiently converts vanillin to MMP

Copper-based catalyst efficiently converts vanillin into MMP
Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made new progress
in biomass catalytic conversion.
Researchers have prepared a copper-based catalyst that can efficiently convert vanillin, laying the foundation
for the low-cost conversion of biomass resources into bio-oil and chemical products.

Vanillin (3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde) is an important aromatic monomer of lignin that can be selectively hydrogenated into a high value-added chemical with lower oxygen content, 2-methoxy-4-methylphenol (MMP).

However, at present, the active components of hydrogenation catalysts rely on precious metals palladium, platinum, gold, ruthenium, etc.
, which seriously limit their large-scale application
due to low reserves and high cost of precious metals.

Researchers in the institute used a one-step carbon-thermal reduction method to prepare a highly dispersed copper-based catalyst
.
The catalyst is uniformly embedded in the carbon matrix by copper nanoparticles with a diameter of 20~30 nm, and the preparation method is simple, green, stable and easy to scale-up, and the conversion rate and selectivity of lignin to MMP under different conditions reach a high level
.
Under_{the condition of} 120°C and 2.
0MPa H2, the copper-based catalyst can hydrogenate vanillin to MMP in the aqueous phase, with a conversion rate of up to 99.
9% and selectivity of 93.
2%.
Under the condition of 180 °C and 2.
0MPa_N2, the copper-based catalyst could transfer vanillin in isopropanol to MMP, and the conversion and selectivity could reach 99.
8% and 99.
1%,
respectively.