Study on the efficient electrocatalytic depolymerization of α-O-4 bond in lignin assisted by simple electrolyte

Lignin is anticipated to serve as a replacement for dwindling fossil fuel resources owing to its abundant sources and renewable nature. The electrochemical oxidation technique for depolymerizing lignin has garnered significant interest for its environmentally friendly and mild operating conditions. Nevertheless, the current utilization of auxiliary electrolytes, predominantly organic bases, ionic liquids, and other specialized substances, poses a constraint on the widespread adoption of this approach. Furthermore, there is a scarcity of instances where electrochemical technology has been employed to depolymerize the α-O-4 bond in lignin for the production of highly selective acetals. In this study, a sodium chloride/methanol (NaCl/MeOH) system was utilized for the direct depolymerization of the α-O-4 bond in a lignin model molecule, specifically benzyl phenyl ether (BPE). The optimal conditions resulted in a 95.2 % conversion rate of the BPE substrate and a high yield of 94.5 % for the main product, benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal(Bda). This research offers a promising approach for the electrocatalytic depolymerization of α-O-4 bonds in lignin, leading to the selective production of acetal chemicals using a common auxiliary electrolyte at room temperature in just 2 h.