Characterization of ionic liquid pretreated aspen wood using semi-quantitative methods for ethanol production

Aspen wood (Populus tremula) was pretreated with ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIM]OAc) and dilute sulfuric acid for improvement of ethanol production. The ionic liquid pretreatment included wood dissolution at 120 degrees C and 5% solid loading for 1, 3, and 5 h followed by regeneration using water as an anti-solvent. More than 95% enzymatic digestibility was achieved for the ionic liquid treated wood, while the yield from the untreated wood was only 5.3%. Furthermore, over 81% of the maximum theoretical ethanol yield was attained after 24h fermentation of the ionic liquid treated wood, whereas the yields were only 5.3% and 42.1% for the untreated and dilute acid treated materials, respectively. A side-by-side comparative analysis of the pretreated materials using semi-quantitative techniques (e.g., Simons' staining and enzyme adsorption) revealed that the ionic liquid treatment was much more successful in increasing the cellulose accessibility to cellulases and decreasing the lignin content. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.