@article{Zhang:2026:10.1016/j.cej.2026.177640,
author = {Zhang, C and Nisar, S and Liu, Y and Verdía, Barbará P and Nakasu, PYS and Fennell, PS and Hallett, JP},
doi = {10.1016/j.cej.2026.177640},
journal = {Chemical Engineering Journal},
title = {Process intensification via probe sonication in protic ionic liquid pretreatment of biomass},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.177640},
volume = {541},
year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
AB  - Protic ionic liquids have proven to be feasible and cost-effective for the fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass into renewable fuels and materials (the ionoSolv process). This study tested probe sonication as a process accelerator for the ionoSolv pretreatment of Miscanthus × giganteus (grass) and spruce (softwood) using the low-cost PIL, N,N-dimethylbutylammonium hydrogen sulfate ([DMBA][HSO<inf>4</inf>], 20 wt% water content). Treatments were run at moderate temperatures (110 and 130 °C for Miscanthus; 130 and 150 °C for spruce). Results showed that sonication greatly improved softwood pretreatment, whereas its effect on grass biomass was less pronounced. At 130 °C, spruce displayed high recalcitrance to the conventional ionoSolv process, yielding only 18.1% glucose after 4 h of treatment. In contrast, with sonication, an equivalent saccharification yield was achieved after only 0.5 h of treatment, and the yield further exceeded 40% after 2 h. Monitoring the temperature profile showed that the main driver of this improvement was the temperature rise induced by sonication, rather than enhanced mass transfer. Additionally, sonication was observed to produce two pulp layers, with the upper layer having finer particles. For spruce, this upper layer was markedly more digestible than the lower layer. A preliminary techno-economic analysis indicated that applying sonication during spruce fractionation could reduce the minimum selling price of spruce-derived ethanol relative to the conventional ionoSolv route, although the magnitude of the benefit depends on the extent to which the sonication-induced, laboratory-scale temperature increase can be maintained at an industrial scale.
AU  - Zhang,C
AU  - Nisar,S
AU  - Liu,Y
AU  - Verdía,Barbará P
AU  - Nakasu,PYS
AU  - Fennell,PS
AU  - Hallett,JP
DO  - 10.1016/j.cej.2026.177640
PY  - 2026///
SN  - 1385-8947
TI  - Process intensification via probe sonication in protic ionic liquid pretreatment of biomass
T2  - Chemical Engineering Journal
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2026.177640
VL  - 541
ER  - 

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