Ionic liquid fractionation of woody biomass for fermentable monosaccharides

The goal of the present study, devoted to wood fractionation, was to obtain monosaccharides, hexoses and pentoses by means of an ionic liquid (IL) based pre-treatment procedure. Softwood sawdust (maximum particle size of 2 mm) of Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) and Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) were exposed to ionic liquids – 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (C2mimAce) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C2mimCl) – and thermal treatment (80-150 °C), for various time intervals (0-72 h). Furthermore, cellulose of various origins (plants, wood pulps) was dissolved in C2mimAce and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (C4 mimCl) for the study of the dissolved fractions, stress being laid on monosaccharides and possible by-products, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural. Knowing the challenges in analysis techniques when ILs and sugars are involved, the present work focuses on the development of suitable analysis methods. To this end, a Hewlett Packard 1100 series HPLC equipped with a refractive index (RI), detector model HP1047 A and a diode array UV detector (DAD) fitted with a carbohydrate column HPX-87K was utilized. Challenges and improvements are discussed.