Technology
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Technology details
Name: Ioniq Liquids
Category: Pre-processing (Chemical processes and technologies)
Feedstock: Lignocellulosic biowaste
Product: Lignin

Ionic liquids are organic salts that are liquid at room temperature. Because they are salts, they show no volatility. Moreover, they show a high thermal stability as well. Both properties allows them to be used as green solvents and as and alternative to volatile organic compounds. These properties are useful in the pre-treatment of lignocellulosic material by dissolving the material and separating the lignin.[1] Lignin streams can also be dissolved to allow for further processing.

Feedstock

Origin and composition

Ionic liquids are capable of dissolving lignocellulosic biomass. Examples for biomass include corn stalks, rice straw, bagasse, pine wood, and spruce wood.[1] Next to lignocellulosic biomass, lignin streams can be dissolved for further processing.

Pre-treatment

Process and technologies

Ionic liquids have been shown to dissolve lignin or cellulose, because it can decrease the crystallinity and therefore makes it more accessible for further processing. Moreover, a full dissolution of lignocellulosic biomass can be used to extract the lignin. The technology can also be combined with hydrolysis to make the cellulose available as sugars for further processing.[1] Cellulose can be recovered from the solution by the addition of water, ethanol, or acetone, while the ionic liquid can be recovered by pervaporation, reverse osmosis, salting out, or ionic exchange.[2]

Product

The final product of the process depends on the exact combination of technologies. Generally, a large part of the lignin can be extracted from lignocellulosic material. Depending on the process properties it could also be that cellulose is more easily available for further processing.

Post-treatment

There are no post-treatment technologies known at the moment.

Technology providers

Technology comparison
Company name Country Technology category Technology name TRL Capacity [kg/h] Reagent Feedstock: Food waste Feedstock: Garden & park waste
proionic [Country HQ location] [Technology category (if different sub-categories are defined this has to be specified here, the available categories can be found on each technology page under the chapter Process and technologies)] [Technology name (the "branded name" or the usual naming from company side)] [4-9] [numeric value]
Company 2 [Country HQ location] [(if different sub-categories are defined this has to be specified here, the available categories can be found on each technology page under the chapter Process and technologies)] [Technology name (the "branded name" or the usual naming from company side)] [4-9] [numeric value]

COMPANY NAME X

Ionic liquids provider
General information
Company:  
Country:
Contact:
Webpage:
Technology and process details
Technology name: Technology category: Pre-processing (Chemical processes and technologies)
TRL: Capacity: kg·h-1
Dissolved component: Ionic liquid:
Other:
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock: Product:

Information about the company

Information about the technology of the company


proionic (Austria)

Ionic liquids provider
General information
Company: proionic GmbH [[Image:
 
Company logo
|200x100px]]
Country: Austria
Contact: markus.damm@proionic.com or marcell.gyurkac@proionic.com
Webpage: www.proionic.com
Technology and process details
Technology name: Carbonate Based Ionic Liquid Synthesis - CBILS (aprotic, non-distillable ILs) &

Method for processing a biomass material - HIPE-REC (protic, distillable ILs)|| style="width: 10%" | Technology category: || style="width: 40%" | Pre-processing (Chemical processes and technologies)

TRL: 4-5 Capacity: Up to 100 tons per year; 10 kg·h-1
Dissolved component: Selectively extract/dissolve Lignin (with distillable ionic liquids), Hemicellulose (both distillable and non-distillable), Cellulose (with non-distillable ionic liquids) or other valuable biomolecules (proteins, chitin, collagen) Ionic liquid: Aprotic (non-distillable ILs) and protic ionic liquids (distillable)
Other:
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock: Agricultural waste (corn, hemp, flax, coconut, feather, wood residues, etc.) Product: Purrified Lignin and high purity Cellulose pulp

Leading manufacturer of ionic liquids on large scale offering:

  • innovative solutions and tailored ionic liquids for biomass dissolution as well as selective extraction of value added compounds;
  • joint development of technologies for the pre-treatment of biomass and the valorization of obtained products with subsequent solvent recycling;

Two innovative patents for the green production of ionic liquids and their utilization for biomass applications:

  • CBILS® is a unique ionic liquid production technology for waste-free, safe and economic production of ultra-pure ionic liquids;
  • HIPE-REC® is a high performance recovery process for the separation of ionic liquid pre-processed biomass into solid an liquid fraction;

RISE (Sweden)

Ionic liquids provider
General information
Company:  
Country:
Contact:
Webpage:
Technology and process details
Technology name: Technology category: Pre-processing (Chemical processes and technologies)
TRL: Capacity: kg·h-1
Dissolved component: Ionic liquid:
Other:
Feedstock and product details
Feedstock: Product:

After the LightFibre project showed that kraft lignin and cellulose can be dissolved in an ionic liquid and then wet-spun, the ConCarb project was started to convert lignin and cellulose into carbon fibers, which can be used in light weight composites.[3]


Open access pilot and demo facility providers

Currently no providers have been identified.

Patents

Currently no patents have been identified.

References

  1. a b c Sang Hyun Lee, Thomas V. Doherty, Robert J. Linhardt, Jonathan S. Dordick, 2009-04-01: Ionic liquid-mediated selective extraction of lignin from wood leading to enhanced enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Vol. 102, (5), 1368–1376. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.22179
  2. Valery B. Agbor, Nazim Cicek, Richard Sparling, Alex Berlin, David B. Levin, 2011-11-01: Biomass pretreatment: Fundamentals toward application. Biotechnology Advances, Vol. 29, (6), 675–685. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2011.05.005
  3. , : Continous stabilization and carbonization of lignin-cellulose for carbon fibers , Last access 30-8-2021. https://www.ri.se/en/what-we-do/projects/continous-stabilization-and-carbonization-of-lignin-cellulose-for-carbon-fibers