Stabilization of gvl-lignin to tune product selectivity of fast pyrolysis

Fast pyrolysis of lignin is a promising method to produce value-added aromatic chemicals. Side reactions should be hindered and reaction conditions optimized to improve pyrolysis yield and selectivity. Here we present a study of lignin stabilization by chemical modification of reactive hydroxyl groups to tune fast pyrolysis selectivity. Modified lignins (by acetylations, methylation and the formation of 1,3-dioxane structures) were pyrolyzed and the influence of structural characteristics determined. Structural modifications induce changes in the pyrolysis behavior of the modified lignins. Importantly, lignin selectively acetylated in aliphatic hydroxyl groups shows an outstanding increased selectivity towards phenolics. The results obtained represent important advances in the development of fast pyrolysis of lignin, which are of great relevance for large scale applications.