Sustainability of cellulose dissolution and regeneration in 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-enium acetate : a batch simulation of the IONCELL-F process

The recyclability of 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0] non-5-enium acetate ([DBNH][OAc]), as a direct dissolution solvent for cellulose, was evaluated during laboratory scale recycling trials. The main objective was to simulate the conditions of a spinning bath from a Lyocell-type air-gap spinning process, called the IONCELL-F process. The saline solution was then concentrated, recycled and reused as many times as possible before cellulose dissolution was no longer possible. The chemical compositions of the ionic liquid and pulp were recorded throughout the experiments. The results of the experiments showed that [DBNH][OAc] can be recycled from aqueous media with an average recovery rate of 95.6 wt% using basic laboratory equipment, without any further process intensification or optimisation. The recycling of the ionic liquid did not change the chemical composition or degree of polymerisation of the recovered pulp but the colour of the regenerated pulps gradually darkened as the recycling times increased. The ionic liquid was found to hydrolyse 6.0-13.6 mol% per cycle, under these conditions. The build-up of the hydrolysis product, 3-( aminopropyl)-2-pyrrolidonium acetate, killed the dissolution feature at between 30.6-45.6 wt% hydrolysis product. The enzymatic digestibility of the regenerated pulp samples was studied with both a monocomponent endoglucanase and a cellulase mixture. The amount of residual [DBNH][OAc] in the regenerated pulps was determined, by both NMR and capillary electrophoresis. Although hydrolysis of the ionic liquid occurs, this study clearly shows potential for industrial application, with appropriate process equipment and recycling conditions.Peer reviewe

Polymerization of coniferyl alcohol by Mn3+-mediated (enzymatic) oxidation : Effects of H2O2 concentration, aqueous organic solvents, and pH

The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of one versatile peroxidase and the biocatalytically generated complex Mn(III)-malonate to polymerize coniferyl alcohol (CA) to obtain dehydrogenation polymers (DHPs) and to characterize how closely the structures of the formed DHPs resemble native lignin. Hydrogen peroxide was used as oxidant and Mn2+ as mediator. Based on the yields of the polymerized product, it was concluded that the enzymatic reaction should be performed in aqueous solution without organic solvents at 4.5pH6.0 and with 0.75H(2)O(2):CA ratio1. The results obtained from the Mn3+-malonate-mediated polymerization showed that the yield was almost 100%. Reaction conditions had, however, effect on the structures of the formed DHPs, as detected by size exclusion chromatography and pyrolysis-GC/MS. It can be concluded that from the structural point of view, the optimal pH for DHP formation using the presently studied system was 3 or 4.5. Low H2O2/CA ratio was beneficial to avoid oxidative side reactions. However, the high frequency of - linkages in all cases points to dimer formation between monomeric CA rather than endwise polymerization. (c) 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:81-90, 2018Peer reviewe

Análise da madeira do Pinus oocarpa parte II: caracterização estrutural da lignina de madeira moída Chemical analysis of the Pinus oocarpa wood. Part II: characterization of the milled wood lignin

Este estudo caracterizou a Lignina de Madeira Moída (LMM) proveniente de Pinus oocarpa cultivado na região do Cerrado brasileiro. A LMM foi isolada e analisada por meio das espectrometrias no infravermelho com transformada de Fourier (IVTF), de ressonância magnética nuclear do próton e carbono-13 e por intermédio de métodos químicos de análise por via úmida. A LMM apresentou uma fórmula mínima igual a C9H9,2O2,6(OCH 3)0,8 e massas molares médias em massa (Mw) e numérica (Mn) de 3.969 e 1.133 Da, respectivamente. A LMM dessa madeira se enquadra dentro das ligninas típicas de coníferas.<br>This work presents the characterization of the milled wood lignin (MWL) of the Pinus oocarpa cultivated in the Brazilian cerrado. FTIR, carbon-13 and proton NMR spectroscopies as well as wet chemical methods were used. The established C9 unit formula for MWL was C9H9,2O2,6(OCH 3)0,8 and its relative molecular weights (Mw) and (Mn) were 3969 and 1133 Da, respectively. Pinus oocarpa MWL was typical of softwood lignins