The problems of today's society include obtaining clean and affordable energy. Among the potential source of energy is also biomass. The main component of biomass is also lignin, which is used to produce fuel as well as chemicals that are widely used. For the efficient use of lignin, it is necessary to maintain a greater proportion of ether bonds, in which β-O-4 bond predominates. In my master's thesis, I investigated the cleavage of β-O-4 bond by using a model molecule under various conditions used in the organosolv isolation process of lignin. I studied the mechanism of ether bond cleavage and side reactions, the products of which were analysed using various techniques such as FTIR, GC-MS, UV-VIS spectroscopy, and 1H NMR. I then studied the isolation of lignin from biomass using the selected reaction conditions. I monitored the cleavage of ether bonds using FTIR, SEC, 2D HSQC, 31P NMR, and UV-VIS spectroscopy. I compared the results with the reaction of the model molecule 2-phenoxy-1-phenylethanol and confirmed that at lower temperatures, more ether bonds were preserved. I also searched for possible correlations between analytical techniques that could be useful in developing a microkinetic model for further research.
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