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Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Biomass with Low-cost Ionic Liquids
Published on: August 10, 2016
Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquids as Efficient Reagents for the C-O Bond Cleavage of Lignin
Marina Thierry1, Amel Majira1, Bruce Pégot2
1Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin, INRA, Agro Paris Tech, CNRS, Université Paris Saclay, 78000, Versailles, France.
Abstract:
The demethylation of lignin in ionic liquids (ILs) was investigated by using pure lignin model monomers and dimers together with dioxane-isolated lignins from poplar, miscanthus, and maize. Different methylimidazolium ILs were compared and the samples were treated with two different heating processes: microwave irradiation and conventional heating in a sealed tube. The conversion yield and influence of the treatment on the lignin structure were assessed by 31 P NMR spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography, and thioacidolysis. The acidic methylimidazolium IL [HMIM]Br was shown to be an effective combination of solvent and reagent for the demethylation and depolymerization of lignin. The relatively mild reaction conditions, the clean work-up, and the ability to reuse the IL makes the described procedure an attractive and new green method for the conversion of lignin to produce phenol-rich lignin oligomers.
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