Evaluation of [Emim]Glu ionic liquid as a deconstruction solvent for lignocellulosic biomass to biobased materials

Lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to be transformed into platform chemicals, biofuels, and materials. This work considered an undisclosed 1-ethyl-2-methylimidazolium glutamate ([Emim]Glu) ionic liquid from the class of amino acid-based ionic liquids for effienct deconstruction of biomass (previously only separation of lignin and holocellulose has been reported) into three components (lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose) of biomass and further release of glucose that owed for bioethanol production. Using [Emim]Glu, bamboo biomass was successfully deconstructed, leading to high component separation efficiency in mild conditions (120 °C, 19 h). A remarkable 65.2 % cellulose recovery, 60.1 % lignin yield, and 7.2 % hemicellulose recovery were attained by the optimized process. After 8 h of saccharification, the regenerated cellulose-rich fraction produced up to 86 % glucose, demonstrating exceptional enzymatic digestibility. While FTIR, HPLC, Raman spectroscopy and CHNS etc confirmed component separation. Additionally, [Emim]Glu showed excellent recyclability with negligible performance loss. These findings show that [Emim]Glu is a green and effective solvent for the fractionation of biomass and the production of glucose, with promising potential for the development of sustainable bioethanol.