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Journal of Wood Science

Official Journal of the Japan Wood Research Society

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Characterization of the products resulting from ethylene glycol liquefaction of cellulose

Journal of Wood Science volume 47, pages 458–464 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

The composition of liquefied cellulose in the presence of ethylene glycol (EG) was studied. The liquefied products were fractionated and analyzed with highperformance liquid chromatography and nuclear magnetic resonance. EG-glucosides were detected as the only saccharides and 2-hydroxyethyl levulinate as the highly decomposed compound derived from cellulose. Quantitative analysis of the EG-glucosides and levulinic acid that comes from the levulinate shows the presence of the following mechanism in the EG-liquefaction of cellulose. First, cellulose is degraded and produces considerable amounts of EG-glucosides during the early stage of liquefaction. Then, when liquefaction is prolonged, the glucosides are decomposed, leading to a large quantity of levulinates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba Norm, PO Box 16, 305-8687, Ibaraki, Japan

    Tatsuhiko Yamada

  2. Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, 113-8657, Tokyo, Japan

    Hirokuni Ono

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  1. Tatsuhiko Yamada
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  2. Hirokuni Ono
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Correspondence to Tatsuhiko Yamada.

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Yamada, T., Ono, H. Characterization of the products resulting from ethylene glycol liquefaction of cellulose. J Wood Sci 47, 458–464 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00767898

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