Fluid systems based on ionic liquids for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass

Abstract

Ionic liquids are substances with great potential for the development of better methods for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass, which is a key step in the successful development of integral biorefinery schemes. Thus, different fluid systems based on ionic liquids were investigated for their utilisation in diverse process approaches: pairs of mutually immiscible ionic liquids, binary mixtures of a light alcohol with 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, and acetate ionic liquids based on a phosphonium cation. Fundamental knowledge was generated on these systems, and some of them were applied to the pretreatment of wood particles, achieving good degrees of fibrillation and decrystallisation under certain conditions.