Enzymatic saccharification of cellulose in aqueous-ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate-DMSO media

Ionic liquid (IL) 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium dimethylphosphate (Emim]DMP) was chosen as an environment-friendly solvent to enzymatically hydrolyze cellulose in situ. Under optimal reaction condition, 80.2 % of cellulose (10 mg mL⁻¹) were converted to glucose in aqueous-IL-DMSO (φ _r = 74: 25: 1) media at 55°C in 18 h. Finally, fermentability of the recovered hydrolyzates was evaluated using Saccharomyces cerevisiae which is able to ferment hydrolyzates efficiently, the ethanol production was 0.44 g g⁻¹ of glucose within 24 h of the process. Such information is vital for the saccharification of more complex cellulose materials and for the fermentation of hydrolyzates into biofuel.