Fractionation of a lignocellulosic material
AssigneeQueensland University of Technology
InventorsLeslie Alan Edye, William Orlando Sinclair Doherty
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Abstract
A method for fractionating a lignocellulosic material, the method comprising; contacting (2) the lignocellulosic material with an ionic liquid (3) and dissolving the lignocellulosic material therein, providing a second liquid (7) which is immiscible with the ionic liquid and is also a non-solvent for cellulose, adding the second liquid to the ionic liquid so as to form a biphasic system (6) which comprises an ionic liquid phase essentially free of lignocellulose and a second liquid phase comprising lignin in solution and cellulose as a precipitate, separating the two phases and recovering (8) the precipitated cellulose from the separated second liquid phase.
Claims10
A method for fractionating a lignocellulosic material, the method comprising:
- contacting the lignocellulosic material with an ionic liquid and dissolving the lignocellulosic material therein;
- providing a second liquid which is immiscible with the ionic liquid and is also a non-solvent for cellulose, wherein the second liquid is an aqueous hydroxide solution;
- adding the second liquid to the ionic liquid so as to form a biphasic system which comprises an ionic liquid phase essentially free of lignocellulose and a second liquid phase comprising lignin in solution and cellulose as a precipitate;
- separating the two phases;
- recovering the precipitated cellulose from the separated second liquid phase;
- decreasing the pH of the separated second liquid phase until the lignin precipitates therefrom;
- and
- recovering the precipitated lignin.
A method for producing ethanol, the method comprising:
- contacting a lignocellulosic material with an ionic liquid and dissolving the lignocellulosic material therein;
- providing a second liquid which is immiscible with the ionic liquid and is also a non-solvent for cellulose;
- adding the second liquid to the ionic liquid so as to form a biphasic system which comprises an ionic liquid phase essentially free of lignocellulose and a second liquid phase comprising lignin in solution and cellulose as a precipitate, wherein the second liquid is an aqueous hydroxide solution
- separating the two phases;
- recovering the precipitated cellulose from the separated second liquid phase;
- subjecting the recovered cellulose to hydrolysis and fermentation,
- decreasing the pH of the separated second liquid phase until the lignin precipitates therefrom;
- and
- recovering the precipitated lignin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.