Grass to Gas: Ionic Liquid Based Conversion of Biomass to Fuels

Fossil fuels are being rapidly depleted and a novel and renewable source of hydrocarbons needs to be found. One source of untapped energy is cellulose. Work has shown that ionic liquids can dissolve and enable the facile processing of cellulose. This research shows that 1-methylimidazolum-3-ethylsulfonic acid triflate, an ionic liquid catalyst, can be used as a catalyst for the depolymerization of cellulose in an ionic liquid at greater than 50% conversion to reducing sugars. It also shows the main product of the reaction is glucose which is further dehydrated into 5-(Hydroxy-methyl) furfural. This investigation evaluated the effects of time, temperature, and co-catalyst on the reaction products and rate of the reaction.