Designed magnetic bio-carbon catalysts from lignin: Concurrent glycerol valorization and efficient catalyst recovery via magnetic harvesting.

Abstract

A magnetic iron-modified lignin-derived carbon catalyst (ALC-Fe) was synthesized and applied in the acetalization of glycerol with benzaldehyde to produce cyclic acetals as potential fuel additives. Under optimized thermocatalytic conditions, ALC-Fe exhibited high activity, achieving 96% conversion of benzaldehyde with 80% yield of the benzaldehyde glycerol cyclic acetals. The catalyst also demonstrated notable performance under mechanochemical ball milling conditions, highlighting its adaptability to different reaction systems. Comprehensive characterization (XRD, XPS, BET, SEM, EDS, FT-IR, zeta potential) revealed that the high catalytic activity may be associated with iron-containing species distributed on the carbon matrix, combined with favorable surface properties and a developed porous structure that facilitate mass transfer. Furthermore, the magnetic nature of ALC-Fe enabled convenient separation and recyclability over multiple cycles. Comparative experiments with Al, Zn, and Mg-modified catalysts indicated that ALC-Fe offers favorable characteristics in both activity and reusability. This work provides a sustainable strategy for valorizing glycerol byproducts into potential fuel additives using a biomass-derived magnetic catalyst.

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