OPEFB pretreatment using the low-cost N,N,N-dimethylbutylammonium hydrogen sulfate ionic liquid under varying conditions.

This study investigates the effects of temperature and period on the pretreatment of OPEFB using the low-cost N,N,N-dimethylbutylammonium hydrogen sulfate ionic liquid ([DMBA][HSO] IL) with 20 wt% of water. The results demonstrate that higher pretreatment temperatures (120, 150, and 170 °C) and longer periods (0.5, 1, and 2 h) enhanced lignin recovery, resulting in increased purity of the recovered pulp and subsequently enhanced glucose released during enzymatic hydrolysis.

Understanding the cation exchange affinity in modified-MMT catalysts for the conversion of glucose to lactic acid.

This study investigated the exchange affinity of Fe, Cu, and Zn cations in sulfuric acid-purified montmorillonite (S-MMT) to enhance Lewis acid sites and subsequently improve the catalytic conversion of glucose to lactic acid. XRD analysis suggested the successful cation exchange process, leading to structural expansion of the resultant cation exchanged-MMTs (CE-MMTs). XRF and TGA indicated that Zn had the highest exchange affinity, followed by Cu and then Fe.