Integrated Green Biorefinery for the Production of Anthocyanins, Fermentable Sugars, and High Pure Lignin from Miscanthus × giganteus
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Miscanthus x giganteus (Mxg) is a promising perennial crop for producing natural colorants, renewable fuels, and bioproducts. However, natural recalcitrance and high pretreatment cost are major barriers to their complete conversion. In this study, a green processing method has been investigated for efficient recovery of natural pigments (anthocyanins), fermentable sugars, and pure lignin from Mxg genotypes using choline chloride‐based natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) systems. Interestingly, choline chloride: lactic acid (ChCl: LA) NADES‐processed biomass resulted in 67.8 ± 2.1 μg g −1 of anthocyanins from dry biomass. A maximum of 87.4%–94.1% glucose yield was achieved after enzymatic saccharification. The effective extraction of lignin with high purity with higher β‐aryl ether (βO4) bonds from advanced crops is crucial for lignin valorization. Notably, highly pure lignin (≈93.4% ± 1.4%) is achieved after low‐temperature NADES pretreatment while retaining lignin's native structure. 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance demonstrated that total phenolics for ChCl: LA‐lignin resulted in 1.20 mmol g −1 hydroxyls. The relative monolignol composition of syringyl (S), guaiacyl (G), and p‐hydroxyphenyl (H) is 19.0, 65.7, and 14.3%, respectively, as evidenced by heteronuclear single quantum coherence analysis. This study provides a novel approach for obtaining high‐purity lignin for catalytic depolymerization for oligomers and bifunctional monoaromatics production and leverages current cellulosic biorefinery technologies.
Authors: Tirath Raj, Vijay Singh
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,910
OpenAlex ID: W4409818990