Synthesis of styrene from biomass-derived feedstocks over heterogeneous catalysts.
Styrene is an important aromatic compound, which is applied in polystyrene plastic materials, polyesters, various protective coatings, resins, rubbers and other common copolymers. Currently, the majority of styrene is industrially produced by multiple-step and energy-intensive chemical processes from petroleum-derived ethylbenzene precursor. Besides the use of a non-renewable feedstock itself, these synthesis processes produce styrene with a low conversion selectivity. Thus, there is a need to develop novel sustainable processes for styrene building-block production from renewable carbon-containing resources, such as biomass-derived lignin residues. The current bio-refinery processes draw value from carbohydrates, leaving lignin as a waste. However, lignin represents a potentially valuable source of renewable aromatic/phenolic compounds for diverse chemical industries. Therefore, the valorization of biobased feedstocks to styrene is contributing to emerging resource sustainability and to making the second- and third-generation bio-refining processes profitable. We have developed unique and sustainable catalytic processes for the production of styrene by the C-H bond activation of benzene.
