Characterization of white poplar and eucalyptus after ionic liquid pretreatment as a function of biomass loading using X-ray diffraction and small angle neutron scattering. (May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yuan, Xueming; Duan, Yonghao; He, Lilin; Singh, Seema; Simmons, Blake; Cheng, Gang
• Is Part Of: Bioresource technology. Volume 232(2017)
• Page Start: 113
• Page End: 118
• Publication Date: 2017-05
• Subjects: Ionic liquid pretreatment -- SANS -- XRD -- Biomass loading -- Porosity; Biomass -- Periodicals; Biomass energy -- Periodicals; Bioremediation -- Periodicals; Agricultural wastes -- Periodicals; Factory and trade waste -- Periodicals; Organic wastes -- Periodicals; Bioénergie -- Périodiques; Déchets agricoles -- Périodiques; Déchets industriels -- Périodiques; Déchets organiques -- Périodiques; Déchets (Combustible) -- Périodiques; 662.88
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.02.014
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0960-8524

Abstract

Highlights: Smaller pores contribute less to the increased porosity than larger pores. Cellulose crystalline structure plays a more important role in sugar conversion. Contrasting dependences of sugar conversion on biomass loadings observed. SANS showed IL pretreatment created small pores on the length scale of 60 Å. Abstract: A systematic study was performed to understand interactions among biomass loading during ionic liquid (IL) pretreatment, biomass type and biomass structures. White poplar and eucalyptus samples were pretreated using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (EmimOAc) at 110 °C for 3 h at biomass loadings of 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt%. All of the samples were chemically characterized and tested for enzymatic hydrolysis. Physical structures including biomass crystallinity and porosity were measured by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and small angle neutron scattering (SANS), respectively. SANS detected pores of radii ranging from ∼25 to 625 Å, enabling assessment of contributions of pores with different sizes to increased porosity after pretreatment. Contrasting dependences of sugar conversion on white poplar and eucalyptus as a function of biomass loading were observed and cellulose crystalline structure was found to play an important role.