The structure of lignosulfonates for production of carbon catalyst support

Abstract

Wood pulp industry generates tons of lignosulfonate by-product waste every year. Rational utilization of lignosulfonates is limited due to non-uniform structure and complex chemical composition. However, presence of different functional groups allows for a broad range of industrial applications, including catalysis in polymer chemistry. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze structural composition of sodium lignosulfonate and its modified forms using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Sulfuric acid treatment of sodium lignosulfonate was hypothesized to enhance catalytic capacity of the original lignosulfonate by increasing the amount of sulfonic acid catalytic active sites inside the structure of the macromolecule. FTIR analysis identified structural features of the lignosulfonate-based catalysts and their catalytic potential was assessed via alcohol dehydration reaction. As a result, polymeric forms of lignosulfonate were successfully used as a carbon-based catalyst matrix.