Selectively transform lignin into value-added chemicals

Abstract Lignin is one of the most important biomass resources. With the increasing consumption of petroleum resource, lignin transformation is of strategic significance and has attracted widely interest. As lignin is a random construction of aromatic monomers, the degradation products are usually very complex, which limits the scaling application of lignin as feedstock for valuable chemicals. Thus, it is desperately desired to develop highly selective approach to lignin conversion. This review first gives a brief introduction to the structure of lignin, and then summarized the methods for selective transformation of lignin into phenols, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, alkanes and arenes. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of lignin selective transformation are discussed.