Lignin carbon-initiated Ni/K/Mo2C catalyst for efficient synthesis of higher alcohols from syngas

Bamboo lignin, the principal constituent of non -wood pulping black liquor, is ecologically and environmentally harmful due to its complex molecular structure and stability. Additionally, the syngas-based synthesis of higher alcohols is a desired industrial application, alleviating the dependency on petroleum resources. However, developing highly efficient catalysts with high space-time yield and selectivity towards higher alcohols remains challenging. Herein, for the first time, taking into account the permeable structure of bamboo lignin in paper -making black liquid resulting from cellulose and hemicellulose extraction, porous nano molybdenum carbide was manufactured by designed pretreatment and activation processes of the lignin, which was further doped by the K and Ni additive to create a highly efficient catalyst (Ni/K/Mo2C@LC) for the high alcohols synthesis reaction, yielding a surprising space-time yield of 0.455 g/gcat/h) to alcohol products under the optimal reaction conditions. Control experiments and characterizations were conducted over relevant catalysts, revealing that Ni and K could be integrated to regulate the adsorption property, acidity/basicity, and carbon chain growth ability of the catalysts. Also, the open mesoporous lignin carbon provided larger metal particles, enhancing the hydrogenation ability and better balancing the non -dissociative and dissociative active sites for the high alcohol synthesis reaction. These results provide insights into the structure design of carbide catalysts toward efficiently utilizing industrial lignin and other biomass -derived feedstocks, and the development of an efficient Mo-based catalyst for syngas conversion.