Depolymerization of Kraft lignin into liquid fuels over a WO3 modified acid-base coupled hydrogenation catalyst

•A novel W-modified acid-base coupled hydrogenation catalyst was reported for the effective lignin conversion to generate liquid fuels.•63.03% petroleum ether soluble yield (mainly monomers and dimers) and 21.56% monophenol yield were obtained.•The HHV increased from 25.41 MJKg−1 to 33.90 MJKg−1 by excellent hydrodeoxygenation over WOx-MgNiOx/TiO2.•The effects of acid-base coupled hydrogenation on lignin depolymerization were investigated for the first time.