Lignocellulosic Biomass Conversion into Platform Chemicals Via Catalytic Depolymerization for Renewable Organic Synthesis and Fuel Applications

Abstract

The growing demand for sustainable energy and chemicals, coupled with the depletion of fossil fuel resources, has increased interest in the utilization of lignocellulosic biomass as a renewable feedstock. Lignocellulosic biomass, primarily composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, offers significant potential to produce biofuels and value-added chemicals through catalytic conversion processes. In this study, catalytic depolymerization was investigated as an effective approach for biomass valorization and renewable chemical synthesis. Agricultural residues such as rice straw, wheat straw, corn stover, and sugarcane bagasse were reported to contain more than 70 wt.% carbohydrates, indicating their suitability for catalytic conversion. Pretreatment enhanced biomass accessibility by reducing lignin content, increasing pore volume, and decreasing cellulose crystallinity. The synthesized catalysts exhibited high surface areas ranging from 185 to 313 m² g⁻¹, excellent stability, and abundant active sites that promoted efficient bond cleavage during depolymerization. Under optimized reaction conditions, biomass conversion efficiencies of 88–94% were achieved. The process generated valuable platform chemicals, including 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (26.7 wt.%), furfural (23.8 wt.%), and levulinic acid (17.6 wt.%). In addition, lignin valorization produced renewable aromatic compounds such as phenols, guaiacols, syringols, and vanillin derivatives with aromatic monomer selectivity exceeding 82%. The resulting bio-oils demonstrated favorable fuel properties, with higher heating values of 28.5–34.8 MJ kg⁻¹, carbon recovery of 72.4%, and energy recovery efficiency of 84.2%. Furthermore, the process showed the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60–75% compared with conventional petroleum-based pathways. These findings highlight catalytic depolymerization as a promising strategy for sustainable biorefinery development.