Queensland University of Technolgy

Leaf Sciences Pty Ltd

Leslie Alan Edye

William Orlando Sinclair Doherty

Alex Baker

Albert John Tietz

A method for producing a partially hydrolysed lignocellulosic material is provided including treating a lignocellulosic material with an acid and/or an alkali and then a polyol. Also provided are methods of producing a fermentable sugar, or a fermentable sugar and a fermentation product from said partially hydrolysed lignocellulosic material. A partially hydrolysed lignocellulosic material, a fermentable sugar, and fermentation product produced by such methods are also provided. Also provided is an apparatus for producing a partially hydrolysed lignocellulosic material, such as by the aforementioned method.

Methods for hydrolysing lignocellulosic material

A method of forming a coating on a substrate is provided comprising forming a lignin solution by at least partially dissolving lignin in a solvent, coating the lignin solution onto the substrate and exposing the lignin coated substrate to a treatment selected from the group consisting of a heat treatment and an acid treatment. The coating provides for improved waterproofing and/or strengthening of the substrate.

Lignin-based waterproof coating

A method for fractionating a lignocellulosic material, the method comprising; contacting () the lignocellulosic material with an ionic liquid () and dissolving the lignocellulosic material therein, providing a second liquid () which is immiscible with the ionic liquid and is also a non-solvent for cellulose, adding the second liquid to the ionic liquid so as to form a biphasic system () which comprises an ionic liquid phase essentially free of lignocellulose and a second liquid phase comprising lignin in solution and cellulose as a precipitate, separating the two phases and recovering () the precipitated cellulose from the separated second liquid phase.

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Queensland, Australia

Leslie Alan Edye