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Abstract
We propose the treatment of barley straw with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate [EMIMAcO] ionic liquids (ILs) and subsequent precipitation with antisolvent mixtures, thus allowing the separation of the sugar-rich fractions (cellulose and hemicellulose) from the lignin fraction. For this purpose, different concentration ranges of acetone:water antisolvent mixtures were studied. In all cases, a high recovery percentage and a high and effective separation of fractions was achieved for 1:1 acetone:water. The fractionated lignocellulosic compounds were studied by using infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance characterization techniques. This method allows the possibility of reusing IL, confirming the versatility of the established method. The fraction rich in cellulose and hemicellulose was subjected to acid hydrolysis (0.2 mol/L H2SO4) for 5 h at 140 °C, obtaining a yield of total reducing sugars of approximately 80%, much higher than those obtained in non-pretreated samples.
Highlights
The exponential growth of the global population and industrial activity in the last century has compromised the sustainability of life on Earth
We studied the dissolution of barley straw in [EMIMAcO] and subsequent precipitation with different concentrations of water:acetone mixtures to improve the fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass
To evaluate the fractionation ability of the antisolvent employed, the mass of each solid was measured and compared with the theoretical amount that corresponds in Solid I to the sum of cellulose and hemicellulose and in Solid II to lignin
Summary
The European Commission has set a long-term goal to develop a competitive, resource-efficient and low-carbon economy by 2050 [1]. While fossil resources are the major source of energy and chemicals, biomass will eventually be the most prominent source. Hemicelluloses and lignin are the most abundant biopolymers on Earth [2]. These biopolymers are the major components of the plant cell wall, where they are present in a dense ordered matrix and are known as lignocellulose [3,4]. Biomass lignocellulosic used as a feedstock may contain minor components like proteins and other nitrogen containing materials, non-structural material and inorganic material (ashes) structural or extractable [5]. Cellulose is a linear polymer of glucose units with β-(1→4) links that form a cellulose chain [6,7,8], and cellulose chains form fibers via
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