A model for optimizing the enzymatic hydrolysis of ionic liquid-pretreated lignocellulose.

Miscanthus x giganteus was pretreated with the ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate at ten different pretreatment temperatures and times. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated Miscanthus to glucose and xylose was measured as a function of time to provide rate and final conversion data. A series of two irreversible, first-order reactions with Arrhenius temperature dependencies was used to model both the cellulose and hemicellulose pretreatment.

Ionic liquid pretreatment of cellulosic biomass: enzymatic hydrolysis and ionic liquid recycle.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are promising solvents for the pretreatment of biomass as certain ILs are able to completely solubilize lignocellulose. The cellulose can readily be precipitated with an anti-solvent for further hydrolysis to glucose, but the anti-solvent must be removed for the IL to be recovered and recycled. We describe the use of aqueous kosmotropic salt solutions to form a three-phase system that precipitates the biomass, forming IL-rich and salt-rich phases.