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Ionic liquids: Efficient solvent and medium for the transformation of renewable lignocellulose

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  • Special Issue · Ionic Liquid and Green Chemistry
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Abstract

Carbon-enriched lignocelluloses are regarded as the perfect alternative for nonrenewable fossil fuel, and have a great potential to alleviate the increasing energy crisis and climate change. However, the tightly covalent structure and strong intra and inter-molecular hydrogen bonding in lignocellulose make it high recalcitrance to transformation due to the poor solubility in water or common organic solvents. Dissolution and transformation of lignocellulose and its constituents in ionic liquids have therefore attracted much attention recently due to the tunable physical-chemical properties. Here, ionic liquids with excellent dissolving capability for biomass and its ingredients were examined. The technologies for lignocellulose biorefining in the presence of ionic liquid solvents or catalysts were also summarized. Some pertinent suggestions for the future catalytic conversion and unitization of this sustained carbon-rich resource are proposed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Pulp & Paper Engineering; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    JinXing Long, XueHui Li & LeFu Wang

  2. Department of Chemistry, Nanchang University, Nanchang, 330047, China

    Ning Zhang

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  1. JinXing Long
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  2. XueHui Li
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Long, J., Li, X., Wang, L. et al. Ionic liquids: Efficient solvent and medium for the transformation of renewable lignocellulose. Sci. China Chem. 55, 1500–1508 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11426-012-4633-7

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