Selective electrocatalytic oxidation of C(OH)–C bond in lignin with Pt@CeO2 toward the synthesis of benzoic acid

The synthesis of carboxylic acid compounds by the selective electrooxidation cleavage of the C(OH)-C bond in lignin is significant to biomass conversion to produce high-value-added chemicals. However, it is challenging to selectively cleave the C(OH)-C bond due to its extremely high dissociation energy of 260–300 kJ mol−1. Herein, a simple and effective method of hydrothermal process and wet impregnation is proposed to synthesize Pt@CeO2 catalysts. The cleavage of the C(OH)-C bond by Pt@CeO2, a catalyst loaded with a small amount of noble metal, triggered the electrochemical oxidation of lignin, resulting in the highly selective synthesis of carboxylic acid compounds. Consequently, more reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in the electrocatalytic oxidation process, which enhances the cleavage of C(OH)-C bond and the oxidation of benzaldehyde. In addition, Pt@CeO2 can also be used for the electrochemical depolymerization of industrial alkali lignin to produce carboxylic acids. This research proposes an efficient way of producing carboxylic acids of high value by utilizing an electrocatalyst for the electrocatalytic oxidation of lignin.