Lignin-First Biorefining of Lignocellulose: the Impact of Process Severity on the Uniformity of Lignin Oil Composition

In lignin-first biorefining via reductive processes, lignocellulosic materials are deconstructed by the solvent extraction of lignin in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst. This approach provides a route to the successful extraction and reductive passivation of lignin fragments to produce low molar mass lignin oils together with high-quality pulps. Herein, we present an investigation into the impact of process severity (i.e., cooking temperature) on the reductive processes taking place on the lignin fragments and uniformity of the product mixture. In addition to improving overall delignif...