FRACTIONATION OF LIGNOCELLULOSE IN 1-BUTYL-3-METHYLIMIDAZOLIUM CHLORIDE IONIC LIQUID

Lignocellulose. materials are potentially valuable resources for transformation into biofuels and bio-based products. However, the complicated structures make it difficult to fractionate, which limits its utilization and economical conversion into value-added products. In this study, a new and feasible fractionation method was proposed based on entire dissolution of biomass materials in ionic liquid. After complete dissolution of milled wood in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, cellulose-rich residues were collected via pouring the wood/IL solution in reconstitution solvent (e.g., acetone/water, 9:1, v/v). Lignin was recovered by concentration and precipitation of supernatant in acidified distilled water. Hemicelluloses were isolated from cellulose-rich materials after treatment with 3% NaOH. The physicochemical structures of the obtained cellulose, lignin and hemicelluloses were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D NMR) as well as high performance anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC). In addition, mass balance was illustrated for the dissolution and fractionation process of bagasse.