A significant hurdle for the sustainable development of lignocellulosic derived alternative fuels and co-products is that current strategies do not effectively utilize the lignin portion of available biomass. Ionic liquids have been proposed as a potential solution to this dilemma.  These novel compounds have been shown to be promising solvents for the dissolution and/or separation of lignocellulosic biomass into constitutive fractions.  To date our work has focused primarily on the use of ionic liquids as a solvent for the solubilization and subsequent thermochemical conversion of the lignin fraction of lignocellulosic biomass. Our results have demonstrated the significant positive effects of proper ionic liquid and reactive system selection on the potential for the derivation of valuable products from lignin. In this presentation we will discuss new developments, potential applications, and remaining challenges for the use of ionic liquids as solvents for the dissolution and utilization of lignin.

Ionic liquids for the utilization of lignin

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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