Processing of wet Kinnow mandarin (Citrus reticulata) fruit waste into novel Brønsted acidic ionic liquids and their application in hydrolysis of sucrose

Abstract In citrus processing industries, where up to 60% of the whole fruit is discarded, generates citrus waste (peel, seeds, membrane, and pulp) on a massive scale. The waste does not currently have high-value applications, instead the majority is disposed of or pelletized for animal feed. Therefore, a concise and efficacious protocol for processing of Kinnow mandarin ( Citrus reticulata ) fruit waste to numerous novel Bronsted acidic ionic liquids ( 3a-k ) have been developed. BAILs were characterized using spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR and NMR). Water immiscibility of ILs 3a , 3g and 3h , a property never observed with sulfonic acid ILs, allowed the catalytic application of BAIL 3a in hydrolysis of sucrose/table sugar, giving a mixture of d -glucose and d- fructose in excellent yields. The ionic liquid could be recycled for >3 times without significant loss of activity.