Conversion of Municipal Solid Waste to Methyl Ketone Using Ionic Liquid Based Process

Municipal solid waste (MSW) has the potential to serve as a feedstock for the production of advanced biofuels and biochemicals but has not been extensively studied to date in terms of conversion efficiency and hydrolysate quality. In this study, we evaluated the conversion of MSW blends to methyl ketones (MKs) using ionic liquid (IL)-based hydrolysates followed by fermentation using an engineered E. coli strain. The hydrolysates were produced from a one-pot IL process (which included both pretreatment and enzymatic saccharification) using different types of MSW blends and renewable, choline-based ILs. For the range of MSW blends and ILs tested, similar trends of OD600, sugar consumption, and MK production of hydrolysates were observed. Comparable or even greater amounts of medium-chain (C11-C17) MKs were produced using IL-based hydrolysates compared to the simple sugar controls with the same amount of sugars at the starting point. The results showed that this engineered E. coli strain can tolerate IL-based hydrolysates and that the neutralized ILs are acting as the extra carbon source for MK production.