An efficient process for the saccharification of wood chips by combined ionic liquid pretreatment and enzymatic hydrolysis

- Effective enzymatic hydrolysis of wood chips disintegrated by [EMIM][Ac].
- Pretreated chips of beech provide twice the yield of sugars as compared to spruce.
- Quantitative yield of cellulose and xylan from beech chips pretreated at 115 °C.
- Conversion of more than 70% of cellulose and 65% of wood into sugars within 5 h.
- Longer pretreatment results in degradation products leaching into soluble sugars.