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Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Materials with Ionic Liquids

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Book cover Production of Biofuels and Chemicals with Ionic Liquids

Part of the book series: Biofuels and Biorefineries ((BIOBIO,volume 1))

Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been recognized as a promising way to fractionate lignocellulosic biomass. During recent years, a number of publications have introduced a variety of technical developments and solvent systems based on several types of ILs to fractionate lignocellulose into individual polymeric components, after full or partial dissolution. In this chapter we briefly review the latest developments and knowledge in this field of study and introduce an alternative fractionation method based on the controlled regeneration of components from 1-allyl-3-methyl-imidazolium chloride ([amim]Cl). Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Eucalyptus grandis woods were dissolved in their fibrous state or by utilizing ball milling to improve solubility. The resulting wood solutions were precipitated gradually into fractions by addition of non-solvents, such as acetonitrile and water. Further water extraction of the crude fractions resulted in better separations. By analyzing molecular weight distributions of the fractions, together with their chemical composition, we have obtained fundamental information concerning the mechanisms of wood fractionation with ILs. Fractionation efficiency is found to be highly dependent on the modification of the wood cell wall ultrastructure and the degree of reduction of the molecular weights of the main components, arising from mechanical degradation. Isolation of cellulose enriched fractions was archived with Spruce sawdust and ball milled Eucalyptus, evidently following from distinct dissolution mechanisms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Forest Biomaterials and Chemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, 27695-8005, USA

    Timo Leskinen & Dimitris S. Argyropoulos

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00014, Finland

    Alistair W. T. King

  3. Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research (CEAMR), King Abdulaziz University, 80203, Jeddah, 21589, Saudi Arabia

    Dimitris S. Argyropoulos

Authors
  1. Timo Leskinen
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  2. Alistair W. T. King
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  3. Dimitris S. Argyropoulos
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Correspondence to Dimitris S. Argyropoulos .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Biomass Group, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, People's Republic of China

    Zhen Fang

  2. Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Research Center of Supercritical Fluid Technology, Tohoku University, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Japan

    Richard L. Smith, Jr.

  3. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, People's Republic of China

    Xinhua Qi

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Leskinen, T., King, A.W.T., Argyropoulos, D.S. (2014). Fractionation of Lignocellulosic Materials with Ionic Liquids. In: Fang, Z., Smith, Jr., R., Qi, X. (eds) Production of Biofuels and Chemicals with Ionic Liquids. Biofuels and Biorefineries, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7711-8_6

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