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Ionic liquid—a future solvent for the enhanced uses of wood biomass

Ionische Flüssigkeit als zukünftiges Lösungsmittel für die verstärkte Nutzung von Holzbiomasse

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Abstract

Biomass refers to biological materials that can be used as fuel or for the production of chemicals. Globally, ever growing demand of energy and concerns for the environment have prompted researchers to develop convenient and efficient ways for converting wood biomass into valuable chemicals, bio-fuels and useful biomaterials. In this context, ionic liquid has the potential to play a major role. Ionic liquids, considered as green solvents, have been found capable of dissolving wood biomass, and the dissolution process can be enhanced in a number of ways, like heating, microwave treatment, addition of acids etc. The anionic part of ionic liquid plays an important role in this process coupled with hydrogen bond basicity (β) property of ionic liquid, which has a significant effect on wood biomass dissolution. This paper reviews the applications of ionic liquids for the dissolution, fractionation and regeneration of wood biomass. It is also related to the processing of cellulose and wood biomass, preparation of cellulose and wood biomass derivatives and composites.

Zusammenfassung

Als Biomasse werden biologische Stoffe bezeichnet, die für die Energieerzeugung oder die Herstellung von Chemikalien verwendet werden. Der weltweit stetig zunehmende Energiebedarf und steigendes Umweltbewusstsein haben bewirkt, dass Wissenschaftler praktische und effiziente Verfahren zur Umwandlung von Biomasse in wertvolle Chemikalien, Biotreibstoffe und brauchbare Biomaterialien entwickeln. In diesem Zusammenhang könnten ionische Flüssigkeiten eine große Rolle spielen. Ionische Flüssigkeiten gelten als umweltfreundliche Lösungsmittel und sind in der Lage, Holzbiomasse aufzulösen. Dieser Auflösungsprozess kann auf verschiedene Art und Weise, wie zum Beispiel durch Erhitzung, Mikrowellenbehandlung, Zugabe von Säuren etc., verbessert werden. Der anionische Anteil der ionischen Flüssigkeit spielt dabei in Verbindung mit der Wasserstoffbrückenbasizität (β) der ionischen Flüssigkeit, die einen signifikanten Einfluss auf die Auflösung der Holzbiomasse hat, eine große Rolle. Diese Studie gibt einen Überblick über die Verwendung der ionischen Flüssigkeit zur Auflösung, Fraktionierung und Gewinnung von Holzbiomasse. Daneben wird auch auf die Verarbeitung von Zellulose und Holzbiomasse sowie die Herstellung von Zellulose und anderen Holzbiomasseprodukten sowie Verbundwerkstoffen eingegangen.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Ionic Liquid Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia.

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  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), Bandar Seri Iskandar, 31750 Tronoh, Perak, Malaysia

    Nawshad Muhammad, Zakaria Man & Mohamad Azmi Bustam Khalil

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  1. Nawshad Muhammad
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  2. Zakaria Man
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  3. Mohamad Azmi Bustam Khalil
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Correspondence to Nawshad Muhammad.

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Muhammad, N., Man, Z. & Bustam Khalil, M.A. Ionic liquid—a future solvent for the enhanced uses of wood biomass. Eur. J. Wood Prod. 70, 125–133 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-011-0526-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00107-011-0526-2

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