Biomass pretreatment using deep eutectic solvents from lignin derived phenols

Abstract

In future biorefineries, the development of inexpensive and renewable reagents is highly desirable. In this work, we report a renewable and new class of deep eutectic solvent (DES) synthesized from lignin-derived phenolic compounds. Novel DESs tested in this work showed their potential as solvents for biomass pretreatment in terms of lignin removal and sugar release after enzymatic saccharification. The recycling and reusability of DESs were also evaluated. The results from this study prove that DESs synthesized from renewable resources are promising solvents for future biorefineries.