Research finds a new method for solar-driven biomass utilization-the price of acrylic mirror panels

Xiamen University's professor Wang Ye's research group and Cheng Jun's research group cooperated and discovered and used quantum dot catalysts to efficiently activate specific chemical bonds of lignin, and for the first time realized the complete conversion of native lignin under mild conditions under visible light irradiation. Related results were recently published online in 'Nature-Catalysis'. Lignin is the most abundant aromatic compound source in nature. The β-O-4 bond in its chemical bond chain structure accounts for 60%. Selectively cutting off this bond is the key to obtaining high-value aromatic compound monomers. Studies have found that under visible light irradiation, CdS nanoparticles can efficiently catalyze the bond breaking of β-O-4 in lignin model molecules at room temperature, and its efficiency is higher than that of traditional high-temperature thermocatalytic systems. However, when real biomass (birch) is used as a raw material, CdS nanoparticles basically cannot catalyze the conversion of native lignin. The main reason is that the native lignin is almost insoluble in any solvent under mild conditions, so that the reactant (primary lignin) and the heterogeneous catalyst cannot achieve effective contact at the molecular level. Researchers have discovered and fully utilized the colloidal properties of CdS nanoparticle quantum dots. By adjusting the surfactant of the quantum dots and the solvent used, the quantum dots can be highly dispersed or approximately dissolved in the solvent. The results showed that under visible light irradiation, 84% of the theoretical aromatic monomer yield was obtained. Further, through weak acid catalyzed hydrolysis of hemicellulose, 84% of xylose yield was obtained; through enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose, 91% of glucose yield was obtained, and finally the full utilization of lignocellulose was realized. Keyword: Acrylic mirror panel price