Electrocatalyst hydrogenation of lignol-derived compounds: Conversion regularity and product selectivity

Phenolic derivatives, crucial components of bio-oil, require thorough understanding of their electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) properties for efficient bio-oil utilization. This study investigated guaiacol, a representative phenolic derivative in bio-oil, focusing on its ECH mechanism, conversion, and product selectivity under varied conditions (temperature: 40–80 °C, perchloric acid concentration: 0.2–1.0 mol/L, current intensity: ((–10)–(–150) mA). Additionally, this study also explored the influence of intermediate products (2-methoxycyclohexanone and cyclohexanone) on both the conversion rate and the selectivity of the products. The experiment had revealed that guaiacol's ECH conversion rate improved with higher temperature and current intensity, whereas an increase in perchloric acid concentration negatively affected the conversion. Significantly, the presence of intermediate products, especially 2-methoxycyclohexanone, markedly enhanced the ECH conversion of guaiacol. Investigating further into the ECH mechanism of other phenolic derivatives, including phenol, pyrocatechol, guaiacol eugenol, and vanillin, as well as their combination, revealed a trend where conversion rates inversely correlated with the complexity of the functional groups on the benzene ring. Specifically, phenol, with its simpler structure, showed the highest conversion rate at 89.34%, in stark contrast to vanillin which, owing to its more complex structure, exhibited the lowest at 46.79%. In our multi-component mixture studies, it was observed that synergistic and competitive interactions significantly alter ECH conversion rates, with some mixtures showing enhanced conversion rate indicative of synergistic effects.