Matsagar B.M.Kang T.-C.Wang Z.-Y.Yoshikawa T.Nakasaka Y.Masuda T.Chuang L.-C.Wu K.C.-W.2019-05-172019-05-17201920589883https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/408856We propose an efficient liquid-phase hydrogenolysis system for the selective cleavage of an £\-O-4 lignin model compound, benzyl phenyl ether (BPE), under mild conditions. By employing EtOH/H 2 O as co-solvent and a carbon black supported nickel (Ni/CB) catalyst in the presence of NaBH 4 as the hydrogen source, BPE hydrogenolysis exhibited over 99% BPE conversion along with very high toluene (46%) and phenol (45%) yields. The catalytic performance of the Ni/CB catalyst was compared with those of various noble metal catalysts (Pd/C, Ru/C and Rh/C) for BPE hydrogenolysis. The results disclosed that the Ni/CB catalyst performs better than noble metal catalysts and exhibited higher selectivity for toluene and phenol under mild reaction conditions (80 ¢XC). In the Ni/CB catalyst, the CB support assists in obtaining a higher yield of toluene and phenol and offers complete conversion of BPE compared to an activated carbon support (34% BPE conversion) in Ni/AC. The Ni/CB catalyst was synthesized by an impregnation method and fully characterized using various characterization techniques (XRD, SEM, TEM, XPS, ICP and FT-IR). ? 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry.journal article10.1039/c8re00304a2-s2.0-85062152135https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85062152135&doi=10.1039%2fc8re00304a&partnerID=40&md5=80175959d310a423653e7d681f2d6b4a