Summary
This narrative review examines the recent progress in using ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents as sustainable alternatives for processing lignocellulosic biomass in biorefinery applications. The authors assess the technical and economic feasibility of these solvent systems for producing high-value biobased chemicals and materials, considering solvent design principles, biomass pretreatment effectiveness, and product recovery processes. The review suggests that these green solvent technologies offer potential pathways for more sustainable valorisation of agricultural and forestry residues, though practical deployment at scale remains subject to cost and recyclability constraints.
UK applicability
The findings are potentially relevant to UK agricultural and forestry sectors seeking to valorise lignocellulosic residues from cereal straw, wood processing, and perennial energy crops. Adoption would depend on development of cost-competitive biorefinery infrastructure and alignment with UK industrial decarbonisation and circular economy policies.
Key measures
Solvent performance metrics for lignocellulose pretreatment; yields of biobased products; recyclability and environmental performance of solvents; scalability and cost considerations
Outcomes reported
This review synthesises recent advances in the application of ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents (DES) as alternative solvents for the deconstruction and valorisation of lignocellulosic biomass into biobased chemicals and materials. The paper evaluates progress in solvent design, biomass pretreatment efficacy, and downstream product recovery across multiple conversion pathways.
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