What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to enhance the depolymerization of larch lignin into valuable monophenolic compounds.

May 17, 2026

Enhanced Depolymerization Performances in Converting Larch Lignin to Monophenolic Compounds by Heterogeneous Catalysts From Transition Metal‐Substituted Molybdovanadophosphoric Heteropolyacid and Alkaline Ionic Liquids With Hydrogen Peroxide

Key Points

This research aims to enhance the depolymerization of larch lignin into valuable monophenolic compounds.
Modified polyoxometalates were developed using Cu2+, Fe3+, and Co2+ to enhance reaction efficiency.
A multiactive catalyst was created by combining these metal-modified catalysts with alkaline ionic liquids and hydrogen peroxide.
The reaction occurred at 160°C for 6 hours in an ethanol/water/H2O2 system.
Total yield of monophenols reached 15.62 wt%, with vanillin at 5.93 wt% and ethyl vanillate at 9.1 wt%.
Cu-based polyoxometalates/ionic liquid catalysts demonstrated effective cleavage of C–C and C–O bonds.
The catalyst showed excellent durability, being recyclable up to 4 times without loss of performance.

Abstract

The selective preparation of vanillin (Van) and ethyl vanillate (EV) remains a major challenge in depolymerizing lignin. Larch lignin is full of coniferyl alcohol unit, which is preferred to produce Van and EV. In this study, the counterions in H 5 PMo 10 V 2 O 40 were replaced with different metal ions (Cu 2+ , Fe 3+ , and Co 2+ ) to develop the modified polyoxometalates, which were then combined with alkaline ionic liquid (IL) to construct a multiactive catalyst possessing acidic, basic, and oxidizing properties. The incorporation of Cu significantly enhanced the cleavage of C–C and C–O bonds in larch lignin at 160°C for 6 h in an ethanol/water/H 2 O 2 system. Under these conditions, the total yield of monophenol reached 15.62 wt%, Van and EV were dominant with the yield of 5.93 and 9.1 wt%, respectively. The fracture of lignin model compounds showed Cu‐based polyoxometalates/IL catalysts are effective in selectively preparing EV and Van. The catalyst can be recycled up to 4 times with excellent stability and recoverability. This study provides a more effective strategy for converting waste biomass into valuable platform chemicals.

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