title: Improvement of biomass properties by pretreatment with ionic liquids for bioconversion process.
abstract: Cassava pulp residue and rice straw were used as a precursor for pretreatment with ionic liquids to study the effects of pretreatment conditions on product yield and properties. Cassava pulp residue is a potential biomass in the bioconversion process due to it requiring mild pretreatment conditions while providing a high sugar conversion. The maximum sugar conversion and lignin extraction are attained from pretreatment of biomasses with particle size of <38 μm and ionic liquid of 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate at 120°C for 24h. The effectiveness of ionic liquid for biomass pretreatment process follows the sequence: 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate>1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium diethyl phosphate>1,3-Dimethylimidazolium methyl sulfate. The increase of pretreatment temperature from 25 to 120°C and decrease of biomass particle size renders higher sugar conversion, lignin extraction and lower crystallinity index. However, pretreatment at temperatures higher than 120°C shows a sharp decline of regenerated biomass yield, sugar conversion and lignin extraction and giving higher crystallinity index at pretreatment temperature of 180°C.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637459, Singapore.
authors.forename: Piyarat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weerachanchai
authors.forename: Susanna Su Jan
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: Matthew Wook
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Chi Bun
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Ching
authors.forename: Jong-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D006868:Hydrolysis; D010316:Particle Size; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet