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The transformation of lignocellulosic materials into potentially valuable resources is compromised by their complicated structure. Consequently, new economical and feasible conversion/fractionation techniques that render value-added products are intensely investigated. Herein an unorthodox and feasible fractionation method of birch chips (B. pendula) using a switchable ionic liquid (SIL) derived from an alkanol amine (monoethanol amine, MEA) and an organic super base (1,8-diazabicyclo-[5.4.0]-undec-7-ene, DBU) with two different trigger acid gases (CO2 and SO2 ) is studied. After SIL treatment, the dissolved fractions were selectively separated by a step-wise method using an antisolvent to induce precipitation. The SIL was recycled after concentration and evaporation of anti-solvent. The composition of undissolved wood after MEA-SO2 -SIL treatment resulted in 80 wt % cellulose, 10 wt % hemicelluloses, and 3 wt % lignin, whereas MEA-CO2 -SIL treatment resulted in 66 wt % cellulose, 12 wt % hemicelluloses and 11 wt % lignin. Thus, the MEA-SO2 -SIL proved more efficient than the MEA-CO2 -SIL, and a better solvent for lignin removal. All fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), (13) C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and Gel permeation chromatography (GPC).

Removal of air pollutants, such as nitrogen and sulphur containing compounds from a model oil (dodecane) was studied. An ionic liquid (1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [C₂mim] [Cl]) was used as an extractant. Liquid-liquid extraction by using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride [C₂mim] [Cl] was found to be a very promising method for the removal of N- and S-compounds. This was evaluated by using a model oil (dodecane) with indole as a neutral nitrogen compound and pyridine as a basic nitrogen compound. Dibenzothiophene (DBT) was used as a sulphur compound. An extraction capacity of up to 90 wt% was achieved for the model oil containing pyridine, while only 76 wt% of indole in the oil was extracted. The extraction capacity of a model sulphur compound DBT was found to be up to 99 wt%. Regeneration of the spent ionic liquid was carried out with toluene back-extraction. A 1:1 toluene-to-IL wt ratio was performed at room temperature. It was observed that, for the spent ionic liquid containing DBT as a model compound more than 85 wt% (corresponding 3852 mg/kg) could be removed from the oil. After the second regeneration cycle, 86 wt% of the DBT was recovered from the ionic liquid to toluene. In the case of indole as the nitrogen containing species, more than 99 wt%, (corresponding to 2993 mg/kg) of the original indole was transferred from the model oil to the ionic liquid. After the first-regeneration cycle of the spent ionic liquid, 54 wt% of the indole–in-IL was transferred to toluene. Thus, both extractions of nitrogen and sulphur model compounds were successfully carried out from model oil and the back-extraction of these compounds from the ionic liquids to toluene demonstrated the proved the concept of the regeneration point of view