DEGRADATION STUDY OF A LIGNIN MODEL COMPOUND

THE LIGNIN MODEL compound, phenethoxybenzene (PEB) was broken down via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) under various reaction conditions to observe the influence on the range of products obtained. The HTL experiments were conducted at 300 °C, applying a reaction time of 60 to 120 min, both with and without the presence of 5 wt% NaOH catalyst. A more probable reaction mechanism than that reported in the literature was proposed for the NaOH-catalysed degradation of PEB to phenol and styrene. The organic phase (i.e. oil) obtained was characterised using gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier Transform-Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The highest yield of phenol (55 wt%) was obtained when a PEB concentration of 2.4 wt% and a reaction time of 60 min were used, whereas at the higher concentration of 6.8 wt% PEB and a reaction time of 60 min, the maximum styrene yield was obtained (21 wt%). The information obtained will be used in the study for the conversion of black liquor derived from bagasse to chemicals.