Using a low melting solvent mixture to extract value from wood biomass.
Green chemistry, sustainability and eco-efficiency are guiding the development of the next generation of industrial chemical processes. The use of non-edible lignocellulosic biomass as a source of chemicals and fuels has recently raised interest due to the need for an alternative to fossil resources. Valorisation mainly focuses on cellulose, which has been used for various industrial scale applications for decades. However, creating an economically more viable value chain would require the exploitation of the other main components, hemicellulose and lignin. Here, we present a new low melting mixture composition based in boric acid and choline chloride, and demonstrate its efficiency in the fractionation of wood-based biomass for the production of non-condensed lignin, suitable for further use in the search for sustainable industrial applications, and for the selective conversion of hemicelluloses into valuable platform chemicals.
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD, Biologinkuja 7, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
Jaakko
J
Hiltunen
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD, Biologinkuja 7, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
Lauri
L
Kuutti
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD, Biologinkuja 7, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
Stella
S
Rovio
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD, Biologinkuja 7, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
Eini
E
Puhakka
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD, Biologinkuja 7, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
Tommi
T
Virtanen
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD, Biologinkuja 7, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
Taina
T
Ohra-Aho
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland LTD, Biologinkuja 7, P.O. Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT, Finland.
Sauli
S
Vuoti
D056804:Biofuels; D018533:Biomass; D002384:Catalysis; D005615:Freezing; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008031:Lignin / Q000737:chemistry; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry*; D014934:Wood / Q000737:chemistry*
D056804:Biofuels; D012997:Solvents; D008031:Lignin