The use of lignin, the second most abundant polymer in nature, along with a simple and versatile
technique, electrospinning, represents an advantageous and promising approach for the preparation of
carbon fibers. In previous studies, we have demonstrated that the incorporation of H3PO4 to the initial
lignin solution allows for shortening the carbon fibers preparation process and that the resulting carbon
fibers present P-surface groups that are of great interest for heterogeneous catalysis.
Different carbon fibers catalysts have been prepared by electropinning of Alcell lignin in the absence or
presence of H3PO4 as chemical activating agent. Carbonization at different temperatures between 500
and 1600 ºC allows for preparing carbon fibers with a high variety of porosity and chemical surface
properties. Diverse oxygen surface groups are presented on the carbon catalysts surface. The
isopropanol decomposition has been used as a catalytic test to study the acid or basic character of the
prepared carbon fibers. Carbon fibers without phosphorus surface groups generate acetone as the main
product of the isopropanol decomposition reaction, from 400 to 600 ºC, suggesting the basic character
of these catalysts. On the contrary, phosphorus-containing carbon fibers show high acid character,
producing selectivity to propylene of 100 % at temperatures between 250 and 350 ºC. The most acid
carbon fiber catalyst produced a high selectivity to ethylene and dimethyl ether for the decomposition of
ethanol and methanol, respectively. The conversion enhancement that the presence of oxygen in the gas
phase produced for all these reactions was also studied.