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Review
. 2021 Apr:72:105455.
doi: 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2020.105455. Epub 2021 Jan 4.

Ultrasound-assisted biomass valorization to industrial interesting products: state-of-the-art, perspectives and challenges

Erico M M Flores  1 , Giancarlo Cravotto  2 , Cezar A Bizzi  3 , Daniel Santos  3 , Gabrielle D Iop  3
Affiliations
Review

Ultrasound-assisted biomass valorization to industrial interesting products: state-of-the-art, perspectives and challenges

Erico M M Flores et al. Ultrason Sonochem. 2021 Apr.

Abstract

Nowadays, the application of ultrasound (US) energy for assisting the lignocellulosic biomass and waste materials conversion into value-added products has dramatically increased. In this sense, this review covers theoretical aspects, promising applications, challenges and perspectives about US and its use for biomass treatment. The combination of US energy with a suitable reaction time, temperature and solvent contributes to the destruction of recalcitrant lignin structure, allowing the products to be used in thermochemical and biological process. The main mechanisms related to US propagation and impact on the fragmentation of lignocellulosic materials, selectivity, and yield of conversion treatments are discussed. Moreover, the synergistic effects between US and alternative green solvents with the perspective of industrial applications are investigated. The present survey analysed the last ten years of literature, studying challenges and perspectives of US application in biorefinery. We were aiming to highlight value-added products and some new areas of research.

Keywords: Biomass; Biomass conversion; Sonochemical process intensification; Ultrasound applications; Value-added products; Waste valorization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic representation about the main physico-chemical phenomena observed when a liquid medium is directly or indirectly sonicated. All the phenomena are graphically separated for making their comprehension easier.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Schematic representation about biomass conversion and the main features of US energy.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Main features related to the extraction protocols without assistance of US.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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