Sun Grant/TAES Internal Research Project

Ionic Liquids: Solubilization Agents for the Chemical Analysis and Pre-Fractionation of Glucan, Xylan, and Lignin

Douglas G. Hayes, Dept. of Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science (PI)
Nicole Labbe, Forest Products Center

Abstract:
In its natural state, lignocellulosic biomass and its 3 major biopolymer constituents (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) are processed and analyzed with great difficulty, due to their inability to their poor dissolution in most known solvents. Preliminary data suggests that through solubilization in a relatively new class of solvents, ionic liquids (ILs), followed by the sequential addition of organic solvent(s) as precipitating agents, the 3 constituent biopolymers may be partially or completely fractionated, perhaps yielding a cellulose or cellulose + hemicellulose-rich precipitant. The ability to solubilize whole biomass, and fractionate the 3 biopolymers would be a valuable step within a revised protocol for the chemical analysis of biomass, useful for assessing the quality and utility of a biomass feedstock in a biorefinery. The most commonly employed protocol is labor-intensive, slow, and requires unsafe operating conditions (e.g., use of strong acids, oven temperatures > 500C). The fractionation capability may also be potentially useful as a pretreatment step in the production of biofuels and bio-based products, with the added advantage that the by-products lignin and hemicellulose may not be degraded, which enhances their utility. The research plan will yield the conditions required to achieve the desired separations, and to 2 manuscripts or patent(s).

Funded: July, 2007
Projected End Date: July, 2009

Reports and Publications:
None to date