Polyoxometalates As Catalyst for Valorization of Lignin to Produce Aromatic Chemicals and Hydrogen

Lignin is the second abundant component of lignocellulosic biomass after cellulose. With its rich aromatic structure and huge production, it has potential to be the major renewable aromatic chemicals and hydrogen resource. Polyoxometalates (POMs) are a class of promising catalysts which can not only convert the lignin into chemicals, but also easily be regenerated. In this study, we obtained a quantitative yield of the product vanillin at mild conditions. Furthermore, when the POM regenerated at the anode in the newly designed hydrogen-producing electrochemical cell, hydrogen can be produced at cathode with near 100% Faradaic efficiency and very low electricity consumption.