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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

High-throughput Saccharification Assay for Lignocellulosic Materials
Published on: July 3, 2011
Comprehensive utilization of poplar sawdust for glucose, xylose and lignin production using aluminum salt-based deep
Yunhua Bai1, Xiong-Fei Zhang1, Jiali Ma1
1Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
Abstract:
Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) demonstrate significant promise in biorefining because of their ability to break down the complex and resistant structure of lignocellulose. In this study, a ternary DES system composed of AlCl3·6H2O, formic acid (FA), and water was designed and applied for the pretreatment of poplar sawdust. The presence of AlCl3·6H2O and FA provides Lewis and Brønsted acid sites, respectively. The addition of water adjusts the acidity of the DES system, thereby increasing the separation efficiency of the three lignocellulose components. Under optimal conditions, DES (30 wt% water content) pretreatment achieved a high cellulose recovery rate of 91.3 %, with xylose yields and lignin recovery rates of 79.5 % and 90.1 %, respectively. Additionally, the cellulose residue achieved an enzymatic digestion efficiency of 97.9 %. The mass balance results revealed that the pretreatment strategy could utilize 77.6 % of the raw poplar sawdust, confirming that the method is economical and feasible. This DES pretreatment technique presents significant promise for biomass valorization.
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