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Oxidative depolymerization of lignosulfonates to low-molecular weight aromatics: an interlaboratory study

Norberg, Mynta LU ; Bekirovska, Selda LU orcid ; Klein, Jana ; Moeller, Finn ; Gustafson, Karl P. J. ; Sandahl, Margareta LU ; Hulteberg, Christian P. LU orcid ; Turner, Charlotta LU orcid ; Abdelaziz, Omar Y. LU and Waldvogel, Siegfried R. , et al. (2025) In RSC Sustainability
Abstract
In the pursuit of sustainable chemical production, feedstock diversification is essential. Lignosulfonates, a water-soluble aromatic byproduct of the sulfite pulping process, offer a green alternative for producing value-added compounds such as vanillin via oxidative depolymerization. However, current depolymerization processes are not comparable due to inconsistencies in feedstocks and a lack of validated analytical methods. In the present study, we developed and validated a novel sample preparation and GC/FID method for quantifying vanillin, vanillic acid, and acetovanillone. Three oxidation processes—continuous alkaline (CA), heterogeneous metal-catalysed (HMC), and electrochemical nickel anode (ENA)—were optimized and compared... (More)
In the pursuit of sustainable chemical production, feedstock diversification is essential. Lignosulfonates, a water-soluble aromatic byproduct of the sulfite pulping process, offer a green alternative for producing value-added compounds such as vanillin via oxidative depolymerization. However, current depolymerization processes are not comparable due to inconsistencies in feedstocks and a lack of validated analytical methods. In the present study, we developed and validated a novel sample preparation and GC/FID method for quantifying vanillin, vanillic acid, and acetovanillone. Three oxidation processes—continuous alkaline (CA), heterogeneous metal-catalysed (HMC), and electrochemical nickel anode (ENA)—were optimized and compared using the same feedstock. A round-robin test ensured analytical comparability across different labs. The analytical method demonstrated high precision (<5% intra-lab, <10% inter-day, and <25% inter-lab RSD) for all compounds. The HMC oxidation process yielded the highest total monomer concentration (4.3 g L−1) and monomer yield (8.7 wt%), while CA oxidation achieved the highest volumetric productivity (up to 840 g (L × h)−1). Future work should explore hybrid approaches leveraging the strengths of these oxidative lignin depolymerisation processes. (Less)
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
in
RSC Sustainability
publisher
Royal Society of Chemistry
ISSN
2753-8125
DOI
10.1039/d5su00698h
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9ae975b4-cb31-4fd8-b56d-0b65b1e859f1
date added to LUP
2025-09-18 09:39:56
date last changed
2025-09-22 12:31:07
@article{9ae975b4-cb31-4fd8-b56d-0b65b1e859f1,
  abstract     = {{In the pursuit of sustainable chemical production, feedstock diversification is essential. Lignosulfonates, a water-soluble aromatic byproduct of the sulfite pulping process, offer a green alternative for producing value-added compounds such as vanillin <em>via</em> oxidative depolymerization. However, current depolymerization processes are not comparable due to inconsistencies in feedstocks and a lack of validated analytical methods. In the present study, we developed and validated a novel sample preparation and GC/FID method for quantifying vanillin, vanillic acid, and acetovanillone. Three oxidation processes—continuous alkaline (CA), heterogeneous metal-catalysed (HMC), and electrochemical nickel anode (ENA)—were optimized and compared using the same feedstock. A round-robin test ensured analytical comparability across different labs. The analytical method demonstrated high precision (&lt;5% intra-lab, &lt;10% inter-day, and &lt;25% inter-lab RSD) for all compounds. The HMC oxidation process yielded the highest total monomer concentration (4.3 g L<sup>−1</sup>) and monomer yield (8.7 wt%), while CA oxidation achieved the highest volumetric productivity (up to 840 g (L × h)<sup>−1</sup>). Future work should explore hybrid approaches leveraging the strengths of these oxidative lignin depolymerisation processes.}},
  author       = {{Norberg, Mynta and Bekirovska, Selda and Klein, Jana and Moeller, Finn and Gustafson, Karl P. J. and Sandahl, Margareta and Hulteberg, Christian P. and Turner, Charlotta and Abdelaziz, Omar Y. and Waldvogel, Siegfried R. and Spégel, Peter and Bengtsson, Oskar}},
  issn         = {{2753-8125}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Royal Society of Chemistry}},
  series       = {{RSC Sustainability}},
  title        = {{Oxidative depolymerization of lignosulfonates to low-molecular weight aromatics: an interlaboratory study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d5su00698h}},
  doi          = {{10.1039/d5su00698h}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}