The Effect Of High Pressure Hydrogenation On Southern Pine Bark Chemistry

Whole bark, extracted bark, and the extracted bark phenolic acids were hydrogenated using a Raney-nickel catalyst and a catalyst to acceptor weight ratio of 0.75:1. The phenolic acids were more resistant, requiring a 1:1 weight ratio. Primary reaction products of bark were water-soluble compounds that appeared to be lower alcohols, substituted alcohols, and diols. Reaction products of the bark phenolic acids were not characterized. More work is required to separate and identify with certainty the constituents of the water-soluble fraction before the significance of this research can be evaluated. None of the products found appear to be formed in sufficient quantity or have chemical structures that would make the process economically feasible. Formation of a strong bark-catalyst complex made catalyst recovery difficult