Patent 7906687 was granted and assigned to ETH Zurich on March, 2011 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
The invention describes a method for the direct production of molecules with a minimum molecular weight of 78 g/mol by the breakdown of lignin, lignin derivatives, lignin fragments, and/or lignin-containing substances or mixtures in the presence of at least one polyoxometallate and preferably in the presence of a radical scavenger in a liquid medium.