Lignin extraction from acacia wood: Crafting deep eutectic solvents with a systematic D-optimal mixture-process experimental design
Journal article, 2024
Lignin is a complex biopolymer whose efficient extraction from biomass is crucial for various applications. Deep eutectic solvents (DES), particularly natural-origin DES (NADES), have emerged as promising systems for lignin fractionation and separation from other biomass components. While ternary DES offer enhanced fractionation performance, the role of each component in these mixtures remains unclear. In this study, the effects of adding tartaric acid (Tart) or citric acid (Cit) to a common binary DES mixture composed of lactic acid (Lact) and choline chloride (ChCl) were investigated for lignin extraction from acacia wood. Ternary Cit-based DES showed superior performance compared to Tart-based DES. Using a combined mixture-process D-Optimal experimental design, the Lact:Cit:ChCl DES composition and extraction temperature were optimized targeting maximum lignin yield and purity. The optimal conditions (i.e., Lact:Cit:ChCl, 0.6:0.3:0.1 molar ratio, 140 °C) resulted in a lignin extraction yield of 99.63 ± 1.24 % and a lignin purity of 91.45 ± 1.03 %. Furthermore, this DES exhibited feasible recyclability and reusability without sacrificing efficiency.
DES recovery and reuse
Lignin extraction
Design of experiments
Ternary deep eutectic solvents
Biomass fractionation
Lignin purity
Author
Catarina Fernandes
University of Algarve
University of Coimbra
María José Aliaño-González
University of Algarve
University of Cádiz
Leandro Cid Gomes
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemical Technology
Diana Bernin
Chalmers, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chemical Technology
Rita Gaspar
KU Leuven
Pedro Fardim
KU Leuven
Marco S. Reis
University of Coimbra
Luís Alves
University of Coimbra
B. Medronho
Mid Sweden University
University of Algarve
Maria Graça Rasteiro
University of Coimbra
Carla Varela
University of Coimbra
International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
0141-8130 (ISSN) 18790003 (eISSN)
Vol. 280 135936Subject Categories (SSIF 2011)
Other Mechanical Engineering
DOI
10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.135936
PubMed
39322130