Department of Chemistry and Center for Green Manufacturing, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
Chem Commun (Camb). 2011 Feb 7;47(5):1405-21. doi: 10.1039/c0cc03990j. Epub 2010 Dec 20.
Certain ionic liquids have been shown to dissolve cellulose, other biopolymers, and even raw biomass under relatively mild conditions. This particular ability of some ionic liquids, accompanied by a series of concurrent advantages, enables the development of improved processing strategies for the manufacturing of a plethora of biopolymer-based advanced materials. The more recent discoveries of dissolution of lignocellulosic materials (e.g., wood) in ionic liquids, with at least partial separation of the major constituent biopolymers, suggest further paths towards the achievement of a truly sustainable chemical and energy economy based on the concept of a biorefinery which provides chemicals, materials, and energy. Nonetheless, questions remain about the use of ionic liquids and the advisability of introducing any new process which utilizes bulk synthetic chemicals which have to be made, disposed of, and prevented from entering the environment. In this article, we discuss our own journey from the discovery of the dissolution of cellulose in ionic liquids to the cusp of an enabling technology for a true biorefinery and consider some of the key questions which remain.
某些离子液体已被证明可以在相对温和的条件下溶解纤维素、其他生物聚合物，甚至是原始生物质。一些离子液体具有这种特殊的能力，同时伴随着一系列的优势，使得开发出了改进的加工策略，用于制造大量基于生物聚合物的先进材料。最近发现木质纤维素材料（如木材）可以在离子液体中溶解，并且至少可以部分分离主要的生物聚合物，这为实现基于生物炼制概念的真正可持续的化学和能源经济提供了更多途径，生物炼制提供化学品、材料和能源。尽管如此，关于离子液体的使用以及引入任何利用必须制造、处理和防止进入环境的大量合成化学品的新过程的可取性仍然存在疑问。在本文中，我们将讨论我们自己的研究历程，从发现纤维素在离子液体中的溶解，到真正的生物炼制的前沿技术，并考虑一些仍然存在的关键问题。
