RT Journal Article
T1 Selective precipitation of ionosolv lignins: Replacing water with low enthalpy of vaporization antisolvents
A1 García González, Julián
A1 Rigual Hernández, Victoria de los Ángeles
A1 Rodríguez Somolinos, Francisco
A1 Villarino, Sara
A1 García Sánchez, Beatriz
AB Ionic liquids (ILs) have shown promising results in the extraction of lignin in biorefineries using the Ionosolv process. Isolating lignin from the IL-lignin solution to enable IL recycling is a critical step for the viability of this technology. The use of water as a lignin antisolvent is a well-established practice. However, the subsequent distillation of the antisolvent inevitably results in considerable energy expenditure due to the high enthalpy of vaporization of water. In this context, the substitution of water by solvents with low enthalpy of vaporization has been investigated. Lignin was extracted from eucalyptus wood using the IL 2-hydroxyethylammonium acetate or monoethanolammonium acetate ([MEA][OAc]). Alternative antisolvents tert-butanol, 2-propanol, and 1-butanol were tested for lignin precipitation and their energy recovery cost, was calculated and compared with the base case (water as antisolvent). The recovered lignins were characterized by a combination of techniques, including gel permeation chromatography (GPC), two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D‐NMR),and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), with the objective of elucidating the extracted lignin chemical structure and thermal stability. Lignins precipitated with alcohols had higher average molecular weights and lower polydispersity indexes compared to those precipitated with water. Furthermore, lignins precipitated with alcohols exhibited remarkable thermal stability at high temperatures and were characterised by an abundance of β-O-4’ linkages and S units. Consequently, this work proposes an alternative approach to the separation of ionosolv lignins from ILs with lower associated energy consumptions, while simultaneously delivering lignins with enhanced characteristics in comparison to the conventionally accepted Ionosolv process.
PB Elsevier
SN 0926-6690
YR 2025
FD 2025-08
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/130271
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/130271
LA eng
NO Sara Villarino, Victoria Rigual, Beatriz García-Sánchez, Francisco Rodríguez, Julián García, Selective precipitation of ionosolv lignins: Replacing water with low enthalpy of vaporization antisolvents, Industrial Crops and Products, Volume 230, 2025, 121123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2025.121123.
NO Received 27 February 2025; Received in revised form 17 April 2025; Accepted 29 April 2025Available online 6 May 20250926-6690/© 2025 The Authors.
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades
NO Agencia Española de Investigación
NO Unión Europea
DS Docta Complutense
RD 18 mar 2026