Degradation of lignin in ionic liquid with HC l as catalyst

Lignocellulosic materials consist of 10−30% lignin by weight and 40% by energy (Perlack et al ., 2005). As the highest energy component of plant biomass, lignin is composed of phenol units. Eco‐friendly degradation of lignin in ILs provides an important way to utilize it efficiently. In this study, 1‐methyl‐3‐benzylimidazolium chloride (BnMIMCl) and 1‐methyl‐3‐benzylimidazolium trichloroacetate (BnMIMTFA) were applied for degradation liquefaction of lignin. The highest liquefaction efficiency of 75.45% was obtained under the optimized condition. This attributed to the good dissolving capability and assistance of ILs to lignin during the degradation. GC‐MS analysis showed that 60% of low molecular products were phenols. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 35: 809–814, 2016