Theoretical study on the mechanisms of cellulose dissolution and precipitation in the phosphoric acid-acetone process

Phosphoric acid-acetone fractionation was applied to pretreat lignocellulose for production of cellulosic ethanol. Cellulose solubility properties in H(2)O, H(3)PO(4) and CH(3)COCH(3) were simulated. Atomic geometry and electronic properties were computed using density functional theory with local-density approximation. H(3)PO(4) molecule is adsorbed between two cellulose segments, forming four hydrogen bonds with E(B) of -1.61 eV. Density of state for cellulose in H(3)PO(4)-cellulose system delocalizes without obvious peak. E(gap) of 4.46 eV is much smaller than that in other systems. Molecular dynamics simulation indicates that fragments of double glucose rings separate in the cellulose-H(3)PO(4) interaction system. Icy CH(3)COCH(3) addition leads to re-gathering of separated fragments. Reaction energy of cellulose in three solvents is around 3.5 eV, implying that cellulose is chemically stable. Moreover, theoretical results correspond to the experiments we have performed, showing that cellulose dissolves in H(3)PO(4), flocculates after CH(3)COCH(3) addition, and finally becomes more liable to be hydrolyzed into glucoses.