Characterization of ionic liquid pretreated aspen wood using semi-quantitative methods for ethanol production

Aspen wood (Populus tremula) was pretreated with ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIM]OAc) and dilute sulfuric acid for improvement of ethanol production. The ionic liquid pretreatment included wood dissolution at 120 °C and 5% solid loading for 1, 3, and 5 h followed by regeneration using water as an anti-solvent. More than 95% enzymatic digestibility was achieved for the ionic liquid treated wood, while the yield from the untreated wood was only 5.3%. Furthermore, over 81% of the maximum theoretical ethanol yield was attained after 24 h fermentation of the ionic liquid treated wood, whereas the yields were only 5.3% and 42.1% for the untreated and dilute acid treated materials, respectively. A side-by-side comparative analysis of the pretreated materials using semi-quantitative techniques (e.g., Simons' staining and enzyme adsorption) revealed that the ionic liquid treatment was much more successful in increasing the cellulose accessibility to cellulases and decreasing the lignin content.