Bionic Liquids from Lignin

Date:August 18, 2014

Country: United States

Application

• The bionic liquids developed can be used for efficient biomass deconstruction in biofuel production, improving the economics of biofuel refineries and enabling sustainable, cost-effective biofuel production from lignocellulosic materials.

Description

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) developed "bionic liquids" made from lignin and hemicellulose, by-products of biofuel production. These solvents show promise in efficiently breaking down lignocellulosic biomass like switchgrass into fermentable sugars, crucial for advanced biofuels. Bionic liquids can replace expensive, non-renewable ionic liquids, improving the economics of biofuel production. The process, tested on switchgrass, achieved sugar yields of 90-95% for glucose and 70-75% for xylose. This innovation supports a closed-loop bio-refinery system, making biofuel production more sustainable and cost-effective.

Pathway Description:

The process used in this project involves synthesizing bionic liquids from lignin and hemicellulose, which are by-products of biofuel production, to pre-treat biomass and efficiently release fermentable sugars for biofuel production.