Moens, Luc and Noshena Khan. REACTIVITY OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC BIOMASS DERIVATIVES IN IONIC LIQUIDS
NREL, 1617 Cole Blvd. Golden, CO, 80401-3393 (Luc_moens@nrel.gov)
The processing of lignocellulosic biomass into a series of distinct chemicals poses many challenges due to the high degree of structural complexity and high oxygen-to-carbon ratio of both the carbohydrate fractions and the lignins. A direct consequence is that well-established catalytic chemistry that is commonly applied to the chemical conversion of petrochemicals, rarely applies to the processing of lignocelulosic feedstocks. We are exploring the use of new solvent systems based on ionic liquids as reaction media to catalytically convert carbohydrates and lignins into useful chemicals.