Organosolv fractionation of lignocelluloses for fuels, chemicals and materials: A biorefinery processing perspective

Abstract

Fractionation of lignocellulosic materials into their major macromolecular fractions for high value applications is a challenging work that attracted increased attention in recent years. Organosolv fractionation, one of the most promising fractionation approaches, has been performed to separate lignocellulosic feedstocks into cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin via organic solvent under mild conditions in a biorefinery manner. The present chapter focuses particularly on new research on the process of organosolv fractionation and utilization of the prepared products in the field of fuels, chemicals and materials. Ethanol-based fractionation, the main organosolv fractionation process aiming at obtaining bioethanol production presently, is discussed extensively. Formic acid and acetic acid fractionations, two useful processes mainly applied for the extraction of lignin, are also discussed in detail. The chemical mechanism and technical flow involved in the fractionation processes aforementioned are elaborated, and the potential applications of the fractionated products (mainly cellulose rich fraction, degraded sugars and soluble lignin) are covered. Other types of organic solvents for fractionations attracted current attention are also mentioned.