A novel and efficient water/oil emulsion reactor for organosolv lignin depolymerization is presented using an ionic liquid catalyst based on the self-surfactivity of lignin. The physicalchemical properties of the emulsion reactor and lignin were intensively studied using optical photo, dynamic light scattering, surface tension measurement, and hydrophilelipophile balance value determination. The results show that the emulsion reactor demonstrates a more significant process intensification effect on lignin depolymerization, with more than 29.60 mg g(-1) desired phenolic compounds obtained, which is about 3.3 times higher than that from a reactor without emulsification. Another advantage of this water/oil emulsion reactor is that both the organic solvent (n-butanol) and the ionic liquid catalyst can be recycled easily, as the depletion of lignin surfactant at the end of depolymerization can result in the phase partition and the enrichment of final products in the oil phase automatically.