Ionic Liquids: Good Solvents for Biomass

For a long time, the full dissolution biomass is one of the biggest barriers for the homogeneous utilization of biomass. In 2002, Rogers et al. first reported that 1- methyl-3-butyl-imidazlium chloride was able to dissolve cellulose with capability of 10-25 wt% depending on heating methods [6]. Since then, the soluble behaviors of most of carbohydrates and biopolymers have been studied [7], such as chitin, chitosan [8, 9], lignin [10], silk fibroin [11], and wool keratin [12]. In 2007, Kilpelainen et al. first investigated the details of woody lignocellulosic materials in ILs. It was found that the lignocellulosic materials were harder to dissolve com­pared to the soluble behavior of cellulose by ILs, which needed higher tempera­ture, longer time, and more intense stirring. As a result, a 7 wt% spruce wood solution was achieved at 130°C in 8 h. Further study showed that the 1-methyl-3- ethyl-imidazolium acetate was a better solvent for lignocellulosic materials. After the dissolution of cellulose or wood in ILs, it was anticipated that all the chemical bonds and functional groups on these biopolymers are totally open to external chemicals and catalysts, which rationally facilitates the conversion of chemical bonds and functional groups. All of the pioneering work has stimulated a growing research effort in this field to investigate the potential of this new homogenous platform [13]. Another reason for the passion in biomass utilization in ILs is that the process is the combination of the application of biorenewable resources as raw materials and sustainable solvents for the production of valuable materials and chemicals, which will contribute to the foundation of bio-based sustainable chemical industry [14].