Chopping and changing

Scientists at Queen's University Belfast have discovered a new eco-friendly way of dissolving wood that may help its transformation into products such as biofuels, textiles, clothes and paper.

Dr Héctor Rodríguez and Prof Robin Rogers from the university’s School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering worked with researchers at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, to come up with a more cost and energy-efficient way of processing wood.

At present, wood is mainly broken down by the Kraft pulping process, which originated in the 19th century and uses a wasteful technology that relies on polluting chemicals.

The key reason for using this method is that, until now, it has been very difficult to break down and separate the different elements of wood any other way, and any alternatives to the process have presented similar problems.

The researchers found that chips of both softwood and hardwood dissolved completely in ionic liquid and only mild conditions of temperature and pressure were needed. By controlled addition of water and a water-acetone mixture, the dissolved wood was partially separated into a cellulose-rich material and pure lignin.