Synthesis of vanillin oxidation of kenaf stalks in the presence of CeO: tuning the catalytic behaviour of CeO nanostructure morphology.

Different CeO nanostructures were synthesized using a hydrothermal method and treated with alkaline NaOH, followed by drying at 120 °C for 16 h and calcined at 400 °C for the direct oxidation of kenaf stalks to vanillin under microwave irradiation. The catalysts were characterized for their physicochemical properties using XRD, BET, Raman spectroscopy, TPR, TPO, and XPS. All synthesized CeO nanostructures show diffraction peaks corresponding to the formation of cubic fluorite, which agrees with Raman spectra of the F mode.

Ce-Zr-based mixed oxide catalyst for oxidative depolymerization of kenaf stalk (biomass) into vanillin.

Since petroleum became depleted, rapid attention has been devoted to renewable energy sources such as lignocellulosic biomass to produce useful chemicals for industry (for instance vanillin). Three primary components of lignocellulose are lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. This paper uses microwave-assisted technology to oxidize the kenaf stalk (lignocellulosic biomass) and extract lignin to produce vanillin.

Direct Oxidation of Stalks to Vanillin Using CeO Nanostructure Catalysts.

Biomass lignin can be used to produce vanillin through an oxidation process. Although its purity is high, the processing time and separation efficiency are not ideal. This research aims to produce vanillin directly from Kenaf stalks without separating the lignin first from the lignocellulosic biomass.