METHOD FOR FRACTIONATING OF LIGNOCELLULOSIC MATERIAL AND NOVEL IONIC LIQUIDS THEREFOR

摘要

The present invention is directed to a method for fractionating lignocellulosic material and its constituents. In particular, the method according to the present invention concerns dissolution of lignocellulosic material into a switchable ionic liquid (SIL) and further processing of the dissolved constituents. Additionally the present invention concerns novel switchable ionic liquids prepared from a mixture of an amidine or a guanidine and an OH-containing compound, which OH-containing compound can be a liquid or solid compound with multiple hydroxyl groups or a hydroxy alkyl ammonium compound or an amino alkyl sulfonic acid. Amidine or guanidine and the above specified OH-containing compound are bubbled with an acid gas to switch the molecular solution to an ionic liquid. These novel ionic liquids are suitable to be used in the above mentioned fractionation process.