US 12,012,429 B2
Renewable aromatics from lignocellulosic lignin
Noppadon Sathitsuksanoh, Louisville, KY (US); Ning Sun, Fremont, CA (US); Jian Shi, Albany, CA (US); Anthe George, San Francisco, CA (US); Manali Sawant, Cupertino, CA (US); Seema Singh, Clarksburg, MD (US); and Blake Simmons, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed by National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC, Albuquerque, NM (US)
Filed on Mar. 2, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/189,998.
Application 17/189,998 is a continuation of application No. 16/254,305, filed on Jan. 22, 2019, granted, now 10,934,321, issued on Mar. 2, 2021.
Application 16/254,305 is a continuation of application No. 14/757,851, filed on Dec. 23, 2015, granted, now 10,208,076, issued on Feb. 19, 2019.
Application 14/757,851 is a continuation in part of application No. 14/650,506, granted, now 10,233,292, issued on Mar. 19, 2019, previously published as PCT/US2013/073936, filed on Dec. 9, 2013.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/096,467, filed on Dec. 23, 2014.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/734,898, filed on Dec. 7, 2012.
Prior Publication US 2021/0284676 A1, Sep. 16, 2021
Int. Cl. C07G 1/00 (2011.01); D21C 3/20 (2006.01); D21C 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC C07G 1/00 (2013.01) [D21C 3/20 (2013.01); D21C 11/0007 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
 
1. A method comprising:
(i) contacting a starting material comprising a technical lignin with an ionic liquid to generate a solubilized material;
(ii) precipitating at least a fraction of the solubilized material with a precipitant to generate a precipitated fraction and a supernatant, wherein the precipitant is selected from the group consisting of octanol, hexanol, and mixtures thereof,
(iii) separating the precipitated fraction from the supernatant;
(iv) adding a solvent to the separated supernatant comprising the ionic liquid and the precipitant, wherein the solvent promotes phase separation of the ionic liquid and the precipitant, thereby separating the supernatant into an ionic liquid phase and a precipitant phase; and
(v) isolating the ionic liquid from the ionic liquid phase of step (iv).