Selective Hydrogenolysis of Lignin Model Compounds to Aromatics over a Cobalt Nanoparticle Catalyst

Catalytic conversion of renewable lignin to aromatics can effectively alleviate the fossil resource crisis. Herein, we prepared porous nitrogen-doped carbon-supported cobalt nanoparticle catalyst (CoNC) using a SiO2 template and tested its catalytic performance for cleavage of the β-O-4 ether bond in lignin model compounds. It was found that the catalyst pyrolyzed in a nitrogen atmosphere at 900 °C (CoNC-900) could catalyze 2-phenoxyacetophenone to ethylbenzene and phenol effectively, affording both in 99.0% yields. Further study indicated that the catalytic system was efficient for transformation of various β-O-4 ketones with methoxyl groups with high yields of desired products. The excellent catalytic performance was related to the cobalt nanoparticles, large pore volume, and specific surface area. Furthermore, the catalyst could be reused five times without obvious loss of the activity, indicating its stability during the reaction process. The reaction pathway was studied on the basis of some control experiments.