Mild Continuous Hydrogenolysis of Kraft Lignin over Titanium Nitride-Nickel Catalyst

Lignin is one of the most important candidates for the procurement of renewable aromatics. The development of successful strategies for the production of building blocks from lignin implies the design of effective depolymmization protocols. Here we propose a continuous flow approach for the hydrogenolysis of Kraft lignin utilizing a TiN-Ni heterogeneous catalyst. The refining of commercial Kraft lignin was evaluated, showing that the catalyst can facilitate the partial depolymerization of this sulfur-containing material under very mild conditions and with short residence times. The process restitutes lignin in the form of oligomers in combination with an array of valuable single-ring aromatic compounds.