Facing the challenge of lignin valorization is one of the unsolved key steps for a sustainable and economically feasible biorefinery. Several processes were developed with the aim of producing value‐added compounds from lignin. Thermal, enzymatic, and catalytic processes represent common techniques for lignin valorization. However, expensive catalysts or enzymes and harsh conditions hampered the implementation of these methodologies on an industrial scale. Here, we propose the utilization of a simple “swiss‐roll” electrochemical reactor for the production of valuable carboxylic acids. We showcase that production of phenolic compounds, such as vanillin, is hindered by the electrochemical mechanism. Additionally, electrochemical stability experiments of possible products showed high reactivity of vanillin against the low reactivity of mono‐ and dicarboxylic acids. Simultaneously, the electrochemical process leads to stable carboxylic acids with high yields of 6.4, 26.8, and 4.2 % for oxalic, formic, and acetic acids, respectively, thus representing a competitive alternative to the catalytic and hydrothermal degradation process for the production of carboxylic acids.

中文翻译：

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木质素电化学解聚生产羧酸

面对木质素增值的挑战是可持续和经济可行的生物精炼厂尚未解决的关键步骤之一。为了从木质素生产增值化合物的目的，开发了几种工艺。热过程，酶促过程和催化过程代表了木质素增价的常用技术。然而，昂贵的催化剂或酶和苛刻的条件阻碍了这些方法在工业规模上的实施。在这里，我们建议利用简单的“瑞士辊”电化学反应器生产有价值的羧酸。我们展示了电化学机制阻碍了酚类化合物（如香兰素）的生产。此外，可能产物的电化学稳定性实验表明，香兰素具有较高的反应活性，而一元和二元羧酸的反应性较低。同时，电化学过程可生成稳定的羧酸，草酸，甲酸和乙酸的收率分别高达6.4％，26.8％和4.2％，因此是生产羧酸的催化降解和水热降解工艺的有竞争力的替代品。