This paper reports a new method of applying Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) for extracting lignin from woody biomass with high yield and high purity.

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This study investigated the specific effects of hydrogen peroxide (H O 2), alkali and temperature on substrate hydrolysability during alkaline hydrogen peroxide (AHP) pretreatment of Douglas fir. We demonstrated that the presence of a small amount of hydrogen peroxide is essential for effective pretreatment of Douglas fir by alkali. However contradictory to previous finding from others, we found that increasing H 2 O 2 did not directly correlate to enhanced substrate hydrolysability, whereas the alkali charge played a more dominant role. The paper illustrated a strategy to apply AHP for softwood pretreatment with low peroxide loadings and achieve high cellulose-to-glucose yield (up to 95 %). It was also found that glucomannan gelation (physicochemical change) occurred during AHP pretreatment of softwood which presents a newly identified recalcitrance factor to substrate hydrolysability. The resulting glucomannan derived hydrogel-like material has a high affinity toward cellulases and can cause a non-productive binding effect.

The recent emergence of a robust renewable ethanol industry has provided a sustainable platform molecule toward the production of value-added chemicals and fuels; what is lacking now are viable conversion...