Production of propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate via selective hydrogenolysis of lignin catalyzed by Ni/MFI-ns

Selective conversion of lignin macromolecules into aromatic monomers is of great significance but remains a major challenge. Here, we present metallic Ni supported on hierarchical multilamellar MFI nanosheets (MFI-ns), which demonstrates good efficiency in producing the versatile petrochemical ethyl 4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate (H-E) via selective cleavage of the ester linkages in lignin. With Ni 20 /MFI-ns, an excellent H-E yield of 12.1 wt% (62.1% selectivity in the volatile products) is obtained, representing 58.7% of the theoretical yield. The synergistic interplay between enhanced mass diffusion of lignin macromolecules, NiO on the external surface of MFI-ns, Ni 0 species and moderate Brønsted acidic sites predominantly facilitates the coupling reactions involving ester bond cleavage between p CA units and other lignin structures, esterification with ethanol, and hydrogenation of CC bonds on the side chain. In summary, this work provides a novel concept for production of value-added petrochemicals via a sustainable route by the rational design of a catalyst.