CATALYTIC DISPROPORTIONATION AND CATALYTIC REDUCTION OF CARBON-CARBON AND CARBON-OXYGEN BONDS OF LIGNIN AND OTHER ORGANIC SUBSTRATES

摘要

The present invention provides methods and catalyst compositions for the catalytic reduction of carbon-oxygen bonds of organic substrates and the catalytic disproportionation of carbon-oxygen or carbon-carbon bonds of organic substrates. These methods and catalyst compositions may be used to depolymerize lignin. The disproportionation of carbon-oxygen or carbon-carbon bonds of organic substrates or lignin is carried out by cleaving a carbon-oxygen bond or a carbon-carbon bond in a catalytic disproportionation reaction. The catalysts may be formed from a metal precursor such as ruthenium or vanadium and a bidentate ligand The catalytic reduction of carbon-oxygen bonds of organic substrates such as lignin is carried out by cleaving a carbon-oxygen bond in the presence of a hydrogen atom source. Lignin fragments produced following depolymerization by such methods may be further processed into fuels.