Microwave-assisted pretreatment of cellulose in ionic liquid for accelerated enzymatic hydrolysis

Rapid fractionation of corn stover by microwave-assisted protic ionic liquid [TEA][HSO4] for fermentative acetone-butanol-ethanol production

BACKGROUND

The use of ionic liquids (ILs) to fractionate lignocelluloses for various bio-based chemicals productions is in the ascendant. On this basis, the protic ILs consisting of triethylammonium hydrogen sulfate ([TEA][HSO4]) possessed great promise due to the low price, low pollution, and high efficiency. In this study, the microwave-assistant [TEA][HSO4] fractionation process was established for corn stover fractionation, so as to facilitate the monomeric sugars production and supported the downstream acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation.

RESULTS

The assistance of microwave irradiation could obviously shorten the fractionation period of corn stover. Under the optimized condition (190 W for 3 min), high xylan removal (93.17 ± 0.63%) and delignification rate (72.90 ± 0.81%) were realized. The mechanisms for the promotion effect of the microwave to the protic ILs fractionation process were ascribed to the synergistic effect of the IL and microwaves to the depolymerization of lignocellulose through the ionic conduction, which can be clarified by the characterization of the pulps and the isolated lignin specimens. Downstream valorization of the fractionated pulps into ABE productions was also investigated. The [TEA][HSO4] free corn stover hydrolysate was capable of producing 12.58 g L-1 of ABE from overall 38.20 g L-1 of monomeric sugars without detoxification and additional nutrients supplementation.

CONCLUSIONS

The assistance of microwave irradiation could significantly promote the corn stover fractionation by [TEA][HSO4]. Mass balance indicated that 8.1 g of ABE and 16.61 g of technical lignin can be generated from 100 g of raw corn stover based on the novel fractionation strategy.

Microwave Encounters Ionic Liquid: Synergistic Mechanism, Synthesis and Emerging Applications

Progress in microwave (MW) energy application technology has stimulated remarkable advances in manufacturing and high-quality applications of ionic liquids (ILs) that are generally used as novel media in chemical engineering. This Review focuses on an emerging technology via the combination of MW energy and the usage of ILs, termed microwave-assisted ionic liquid (MAIL) technology. In comparison to conventional routes that rely on heat transfer through media, the contactless and unique MW heating exploits the electromagnetic wave-ions interactions to deliver energy to IL molecules, accelerating the process of material synthesis, catalytic reactions, and so on. In addition to the inherent advantages of ILs, including outstanding solubility, and well-tuned thermophysical properties, MAIL technology has exhibited great potential in process intensification to meet the requirement of efficient, economic chemical production. Here we start with an introduction to principles of MW heating, highlighting fundamental mechanisms of MW induced process intensification based on ILs. Next, the synergies of MW energy and ILs employed in materials synthesis, as well as their merits, are documented. The emerging applications of MAIL technologies are summarized in the next sections, involving tumor therapy, organic catalysis, separations, and bioconversions. Finally, the current challenges and future opportunities of this emerging technology are discussed.

The green novel approach in hydrolysis of pistachio shell into xylose by microwave-assisted high-pressure CO2 /H2 O

BACKGROUND

Pistachio shell is a valuable lignocellulosic biomass because almost 90% of its hemicellulose fraction is xylan, which can be converted into high value-added compounds such as xylooligosaccarides, xylose, xylitol and furfural. The present study represents a green and novel approach to produce xylose from lignocellulosic biomass. Microwave-assisted high-pressure CO2 /H2 O hydrolysis (MW-HPCO2 ) comprising a combination never previously used was performed to produce xylose from pistachio shell.

RESULTS

Response surface methodology with a Box-Behnken design was implemented to optimize microwave-assisted high-pressure CO2 /H2 O hydrolysis (MW-HPCO2 ). The effect of temperature, time and liquid-to-solid ratio was studied in the ranges of 180-210 °C, 10-30 min and 5-30 mL g-1 , respectively. A maximum xylose yield of 61.39% and minimum degradation compounds (5-hydroxymethyl furfural and furfural) of 11.07% were attained under reaction conditions of 190 °C, 30 min and 18 mL g-1 .

CONCLUSION

The results showed that hydrolysis temperature, time and liquid-to-solid ratio had a strong influence on the xylose yield, as well as on the formation of degradation compounds. MW-HPCO2 significantly increased accessibility to cellulose-derived products in the subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis. The results of the present study reveal that MW-HPCO2 can be a promising green technique for the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Selective degradation of hemicellulose and lignin for improving enzymolysis efficiency via pretreatment using deep eutectic solvents

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with different acidity and alkalinity were applied for biomass pretreatment, and the conditions were optimized by response surface methodology. The results showed that lactic acid/betaine hydrochloride had the optimal pretreatment efficiency, where the removal rates of hemicellulose and lignin came up to 89% and 73%, and the enzymolysis efficiency was as high as 92%. Furthermore, eight types of chloride salts with different valence states were introduced into the DESs as the third component. The chloride salts could improve the pretreatment efficiency and positively correlated with the metal valence state. Specifically, AlCl₃ was significantly superior in improving the pretreatment efficiency, where the enzymolysis efficiency reached 96% due to the destruction of crystalline region and the esterification of partial cellulose. Therefore, it is proposed that adding highly valent metal salts to acidic DESs has higher pretreatment and enzymatic efficiency.

Liquefaction of Cellulose for Production of Advanced Porous Carbon Materials

Cellulose is a renewable resource for the production of advanced carbonaceous materials for various applications. In addition to direct carbonization, attention has recently been paid to the preparation of porous carbons from liquid cellulose-based precursors. Possible pathways of cellulose conversion to a liquid state suitable for the preparation of porous carbons are summarized in this review. Hydrothermal liquefaction leading to liquid mixtures of low-molecular-weight organics is described in detail together with less common decomposition techniques (microwave or ultrasound assisted liquefaction, decomposition in a strong gravitation field). We also focus on dissolution of cellulose without decomposition, with special attention paid to dissolution of nonderivatized cellulose. For this purpose, cold alkalines, hot acids, ionic liquids, or alcohols are commonly used.

Effects of Microwave-Assisted Liquid Hot Water Pretreatment on Chemical Composition and Structure of Moso Bamboo

The effects of microwave assisted liquid hot water (MA-LHW) pretreatment on the chemical composition of Moso bamboo were investigated, and the fiber structure of pretreated residues were studied. The results showed that MA-LHW pretreatment had high selectivity for the degradation of hemicellulose in Moso bamboo, and the extracted hemicellulose could be used to prepare xylooligosaccharide through enzyme depolymerization. The degradation rates of cellulose and lignin after MA-LHW pretreatment were only 14.73% and 7.18%, which were significantly lower than those of LHW pretreatment; 155.0 mg/g xylobiose and 61.0 mg/g xylotrisoe can be obtained after enzymatic hydrolysis, and the yield of xylo-oligosaccharide reached 80.59% of the theoretical conversion rate. MA-LHW pretreatment increased the removal of hemicellulose, lignin, and other non-crystalline parts in bamboo materials, and more cellulose with crystalline structure was retained, which increased the CrI value of Moso bamboo by 14.84%. FTIR spectra showed that the characteristic peak intensity of hemicellulose was significantly reduced after MA-LHW pretreatment, which confirmed the selective degradation of hemicellulose by MA-LAW pretreatment. Moreover, MA-LHW pretreatment also destroyed O-H, C-H, C-O-C, and β-glucoside bonds in Moso bamboo fiber, caused by the recombination and synthesis of some groups (-CH2 and C=O) of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin destroyed under pretreatment conditions.

Insight into the recent advances of microwave pretreatment technologies for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into sustainable biofuel

The utilization of renewable lignocellulosic biomasses for bioenergy synthesis is believed to facilitate competitive commercialization and realize affordable clean energy sources in the future. Among the pathways for biomass pretreatment methods that enhance the efficiency of the whole biofuel production process, the combined microwave irradiation and physicochemical approach is found to provide many economic and environmental benefits. Several studies on microwave-based pretreatment technologies for biomass conversion have been conducted in recent years. Although some reviews are available, most did not comprehensively analyze microwave-physicochemical pretreatment techniques for biomass conversion. The study of these techniques is crucial for sustainable biofuel generation. Therefore, the biomass pretreatment process that combines the physicochemical method with microwave-assisted irradiation is reviewed in this paper. The effects of this pretreatment process on lignocellulosic structure and the ratio of achieved components were also discussed in detail. Pretreatment processes for biomass conversion were substantially affected by temperature, irradiation time, initial feedstock components, catalyst loading, and microwave power. Consequently, neoteric technologies utilizing high efficiency-based green and sustainable solutions should receive further focus. In addition, methodologies for quantifying and evaluating effects and relevant trade-offs should be develop to facilitate the take-off of the biofuel industry with clean and sustainable goals.

Transforming lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels enabled by ionic liquid pretreatment

Processes that can convert lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels and chemicals are particularly attractive considering renewability and minimal environmental impact. Ionic liquids (ILs) have been used as novel solvents in the process development in that they can effectively deconstruct recalcitrant lignocellulosic biomass for high sugar yield and lignin recovery. From cellulose-dissolving ILs to choline-based and protic acidic ILs, extensive research in this field has been done, driven by the promising future of IL pretreatment. Meanwhile, shortcomings and technological hurdles are ascertained during research and developments. It is necessary to present a general overview of recent developments and challenges in this field. In this review paper, three aspects of advances in IL pretreatment are critically analyzed: biocompatible ILs, protic acidic ILs and combinatory pretreatments.

Effect of microwave-assisted ionic liquid/acidic ionic liquid pretreatment on the morphology, structure, and enhanced delignification of rice straw

In the present study, was investigated an environmentally friendly method for pretreating lignocellulosic rice straw (RS) by using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl) as an ionic liquid (IL) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate ([Bmim]HSO₄) as an acidic-IL (Acidic-IL) under microwave irradiation (microwave-[Bmim]Cl and microwave-[Bmim]HSO₄). The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into simple sugars requires both efficient pretreatment and hydrolysis enzymes to produce biofuels and specialty chemicals. Therefore, the applied [Bmim]Cl, [Bmim]HSO₄, microwave-[Bmim]Cl, and microwave-[Bmim]HSO₄ to improve hydrolysis yields. Structural analyses of the pretreated solids were performed to understand the synergistic effects of [Bmim]Cl, and [Bmim]HSO₄ pretreatment under microwave irradiation (microwave-[Bmim]Cl and microwave-[Bmim]HSO₄) on the efficiencies of enzymatic hydrolyses. The results of a chemical composition analysis of untreated and all pretreated RS samples by using the difference pretreatment methods showed that significant lignin removal was achieved using microwave-[Bmim]Cl (57.02 ± 1.24%), followed by [Bmim]Cl only (41.01 ± 2.67%), microwave-[Bmim]HSO₄ (20.77 ± 1.79%), and [Bmim]HSO₄-only (16.88 ± 1.14%). The highest glucan yield and xylan conversion achieved through the enzymatic saccharification of microwave-[Bmim]Cl-regenerated cellulose was consistent with the observations obtained from a structural analysis, which indicated a more disrupted, amorphous structure, with lowered crystallinity index (CrI) and lateral order index (LOI) of cellulose polymers. Thus results demonstrated that the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass with [Bmim]Cl under microwave irradiation has potential as an alternative method for pretreating lignocellulosic materials.

Coupled Pretreatment with Liquid Nitrogen and Ball Milling for Enhanced Cellulose Hydrolysis in Water

A key problem in the conversion of cellulose into chemicals and fuels is the low product yield from cellulose due to its robust structure. In this work, for the first time, cellulose was pretreated with coupling of liquid nitrogen and ball milling (LN-BM) for cellulose hydrolysis. After the LN-BM treatment, the glucose yield from cellulose by HCl in water increased by almost 2 times and yield of formic acid catalyzed by H₂SO₄-NaVO₃ was more than 3-fold that obtained from untreated cellulose. The yields were also much higher than that from the individually ball-milled cellulose. The structure variation of cellulose indicated that reduction of both crystallinity index and molecular weight contributed to improving the conversion efficiency, but the former was the dominant factor. The combination of liquid nitrogen and ball milling developed in this work is an effective and environment-friendly approach for cellulose pretreatment.

A microwave-assisted aqueous ionic liquid pretreatment to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis of Eucalyptus and its mechanism

A novel pretreatment strategy based on combination of microwave and ionic liquid [TBA][OH] was developed for enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis of Eucalyptus sawdust. The sugar yield of pretreated sample achieved 410.67 mg/g in 48 h, which suffered from optimized microwave-assisted [TBA][OH] pretreatment. The work mechanism was illuminated by chemical composition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ¹³C cross polarization/magic-angle spinning solid state NMR (¹³C solid NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. The combined effect of microwave and [TBA][OH] leads to the violent deconstruction of lignin, removal of hemicelluloses, destruction of crystalline region and an eroded, pored and irregular micro-morphology. As a green, relatively inexpensive and high efficient pretreatment, microwave-assisted [TBA][OH] pretreatment has great potential in the field of bio-refinery.

Combining autohydrolysis and ionic liquid microwave treatment to enhance enzymatic hydrolysis of Eucalyptus globulus wood

The combination of autohydrolysis and ionic liquid microwave treatments of eucalyptus wood have been studied to facilitate sugar production in a subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis step. Three autohydrolysis conditions (150 °C, 175 °C and 200 °C) in combination with two ionic liquid temperatures (80 °C and 120 °C) were compared in terms of chemical composition, enzymatic digestibility and sugar production. Morphology was measured (using SEM) and the biomass surface was visualized with confocal fluorescence microscopy. The synergistic cooperation of both treatments was demonstrated, enhancing cellulose accessibility. At intermediate autohydrolysis conditions (175 °C) and low ionic liquid temperature (80 °C), a glucan digestibility of 84.4% was obtained. Using SEM micrographs, fractal dimension (as a measure of biomass complexity) and lacunarity (as a measure of homogeneity) were calculated before and after pretreatment. High fractals dimensions and low lacunarities correspond to morphologically complex and homogeneous samples, that are better digested by enzyme cocktails.

Analysis of tilianin and acacetin in Agastache rugosa by high-performance liquid chromatography with ionic liquids-ultrasound based extraction

Ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide-methanol-based ultrasonic-assisted extraction (ILUAE) was used to extract tilianin and acacetin from the aerial parts of Agastache rugose (A. rugose), and simultaneously determined by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method with ultraviolet detection (RP-HPLC-UV). An InertSustain RP-C₁₈ column was used with the mobile phase consisting of methanol and 0.2% acetic acid as gradient elution at the detection wavelength of 332 nm. The flow rate was 0.8 mL/min, and the column temperature was 30 °C. Under the optimized conditions, tilianin and acacetin displayed good linearity in the ranges of 0.0595–4.76 and 0.0585–4.68 μg/mL, respectively, with the average recoveries being 96.93 and 97.88%, respectively. The method of ILUAE was compared with the traditional methods, it exhibited higher efficiency, higher reproducibility and environmental friendly in analyzing the active compounds in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs).

Low pressure steam expansion pretreatment as a competitive approach to improve diosgenin yield and the production of fermentable sugar from Dioscorea zingiberensis C.H. Wright

Development of efficient pretreatment methods which can disrupt the peripheral lignocellulose and even the parenchyma cells is of great importance for production of diosgenin from turmeric rhizomes. It was found that low pressure steam expansion pretreatment (LSEP) could improve the diosgenin yield by more than 40% compared with the case without pretreatment, while simultaneously increasing the production of fermentable sugar by 27.37%. Furthermore, little inhibitory compounds were produced in LSEP process which was extremely favorable for the subsequent biotransformation of fermentable sugar to other valuable products such as ethanol. Preliminary study showed that the ethanol yield when using the fermentable sugar as carbon source was comparable to that using glucose. The liquid residue of LSEP treated turmeric tuber after diosgenin production can be utilized as a quality fermentable carbon source. Therefore, LSEP has great potential in industrial application in diosgenin clean production and comprehensive utilization of turmeric tuber.

Hydrolysis of Selected Tropical Plant Wastes Catalyzed by a Magnetic Carbonaceous Acid with Microwave

In this study, magnetic carbonaceous acids were synthesized by pyrolysis of the homogeneous mixtures of glucose and magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles, and subsequent sulfonation. The synthesis conditions were optimized to obtain a catalyst with both high acid density (0.75 mmol g(-1)) and strong magnetism [magnetic saturation, Ms = 19.5 Am(2) kg(-1)]. The screened catalyst (C-SO3H/Fe3O4) was used to hydrolyze ball-milled cellulose in a microwave reactor with total reducing sugar (TRS) yield of 25.3% under the best conditions at 190 °C for 3.5 h. It was cycled for at least seven times with high catalyst recovery rate (92.8%), acid density (0.63 mmol g(-1)) and magnetism (Ms = 12.9 Am(2) kg(-1)), as well as high TRS yield (20.1%) from the hydrolysis of ball-milled cellulose. The catalyst was further successfully tested for the hydrolysis of tropical biomass with high TRS and glucose yields of 79.8% and 58.3% for bagasse, 47.2% and 35.6% for Jatropha hulls, as well as 54.4% and 35.8% for Plukenetia hulls.

Application of Ionic Liquids in the Utilization of the Agricultural Wastes: Towards the One-Step Pre-Treatment and Cellulose Hydrolysis

Cheap, renewable lignocellulosic materials are relevant to the future of biofuel production. Wood and agricultural wastes (e.g. straw, corn stover) provide a raw material source that cannot be used for human consumption, thus biofuels from such sources do not threaten the food supply. The aim of the work was to carry out the pre-treatment and hydrolysis of lignocellulosic material in the same ionic liquid solvent (1-n-butyl-3- methyl-imidazolium-chloride, [Bmim]Cl), using ground wheat straw and a mixture of corn (Zea mays) leaf and stover, as substrates. Our measurements show that it is possible to achieve an acceptable glucose content from the cellulose by applying Cellic® CTec2 and Cellic® HTec2 enzyme complexes.

Hydrolysis behavior of regenerated celluloses with different degree of polymerization under microwave radiation

This work studied the hydrolysis behavior of regenerated celluloses (RCs) with different degree of polymerization (DP) by using the catalyst of dilute acid under microwave radiation. Results showed that the DP had a considerable influence on hydrolysis of cellulose. The reactivity of RCs was significantly improved when DP was lower than 51. The highest sugar yield of 59.2% was achieved from RC with lowest DP of 23 at 160 °C for 15 min. But the lowest yield of 32.6% was obtained when RC with highest DP of 132 was used. Recrystallization of cellulose was found to hinder the further hydrolysis particularly with the high DP. The effect of recrystallization can be reduced by the decrease of DP of RCs. This research demonstrates that the DP of RCs plays a crucial role on hydrolysis and it provides a preliminary guide based on DP to find a suitable pretreatment method for cellulose hydrolysis.

Recyclability of an ionic liquid for biomass pretreatment

This study investigated the possibility of reusing an ionic liquid for the pretreatment of biomass. The effects of lignin and water content in a pretreatment solvent on pretreatment products were examined, along with the recyclability of an ionic liquid for pretreatment. It was discovered that the presence of lignin and water within a pretreatment solvent resulted in a far less effective pretreatment process. 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate/ethanolamine (60/40 vol%) presents more promising properties than EMIM-AC, providing a small decrease in sugar conversion and also a small increase of lignin deposition with an increasing lignin amount in the pretreatment solvent. Deteriorations of the ionic liquid were observed from considerably low sugar conversions and lignin extraction after using the 5th and 7th batch, respectively. Furthermore, the changes of ionic liquid properties and lignin accumulation in ionic liquid were determined by analyzing their thermal decomposition behavior (TGA) and chemical functional groups (FTIR and (1)H NMR).

Isolation and Characterization of Corncob Cellulose Fibers using Microwave-Assisted Chemical Treatments

Cellulose fibers were obtained from corncob by using microwave-assisted chemical treatments (microwave-assisted alkaline pretreatment and microwave-assisted bleaching). These treatments efficiently removed the hemicellulose and lignin from the original corncob and increased the cellulose fiber content. The morphology, chemical structure, degree of crystallinity and thermal degradation characteristics of the resultant cellulose fibers were studied by using field emission scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. These microwave-assisted chemical treatments decreased the diameter of the cellulose fibers from 25–125 µm to 10–20 µm. The crystallinity of the corncob cellulose fibers increased from 32.7% to 73% due to the chemical treatments. The degradation temperature of the cellulose fibers was >260°C. The cellulose fibers obtained from these treatments can be used as biocomposites in reinforced polymer manufacturing.

Fermentable sugars recovery from lignocellulosic waste-newspaper by catalytic hydrolysis

The urgent need for alternative renewable energies to supplement petroleum-based fuels and the reduction of landfill sites for disposal of solid wastes makes it increasingly attractive to produce inexpensive biofuels from the organic fraction of the municipal solid waste. Therefore, municipal waste in the form of newspaper was investigated as a potential feedstock for fermentable sugars production. Hydrolysis of newspaper by dilute phosphoric acid was carried out in autoclave Parr reactor, where reactor temperature and acid concentration were examined. Xylose concentration reached a maximum value of 14 g/100 g dry mass corresponding to a yield of 94% at the best identified conditions of 2.5 wt% H3PO4, 135 degrees C, 120 min reaction time, and at 2.5 wt% H3PO4, 150 degrees C, and 60 min reaction time. For glucose, an average yield of 26% was obtained at 2.5 wt% H3PO4, 200 degrees C, and 30 min. Furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) formation was clearly affected by reaction temperature, where the higher the temperature the higher the formation rate. The maximum furfural formed was an average of 3 g/100 g dry mass, corresponding to a yield of 28%. The kinetic study of the acid hydrolysis was also carried out using the Saeman and the two-fraction models. It was found for both models that the kinetic constants (K) depend on the acid concentration and temperature. The degradation of HMF to levulinic acid is faster than the degradation of furfural to formic acid. Also, the degradation rate is higher than the formation rate for both inhibitors when degradation is observed.