title: Facile pulping of lignocellulosic biomass using choline acetate.
abstract: Treating ground bagasse or Southern yellow pine in the biodegradable ionic liquid (IL), choline acetate ([Cho][OAc]), at 100°C for 24h led to dissolution of hemicellulose and lignin, while leaving the cellulose pulp undissolved, with a 54.3% (bagasse) or 34.3% (pine) reduction in lignin content. The IL solution of the dissolved biopolymers can be separated from the undissolved particles either by addition of water (20 wt% of IL) followed by filtration or by centrifugation. Hemicellulose (19.0 wt% of original bagasse, 10.2 wt% of original pine, containing 14-18 wt% lignin) and lignin (5.0 wt% of original bagasse, 6.0 wt% of original pine) could be subsequently precipitated. The pulp obtained from [Cho][OAc] treatment can be rapidly dissolved in 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (e.g., 17 h for raw bagasse vs. 7h for pulp), and precipitated as cellulose-rich material (CRM) with a lower lignin content (e.g., 23.6% for raw bagasse vs. 10.6% for CRM).
authors.affiliation: Center for Green Manufacturing and Department of Chemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA; Key Laboratory of Bio-based Material Science and Technology of Ministry of Education of China, College of Material Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
authors.forename: Fangchao
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Center for Green Manufacturing and Department of Chemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Center for Green Manufacturing and Department of Chemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chatel
authors.affiliation: Center for Green Manufacturing and Department of Chemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gurau
authors.affiliation: Center for Green Manufacturing and Department of Chemistry, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA. Electronic address: rdrogers@ua.edu.
authors.forename: Robin D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D000085:Acetates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018533:Biomass; D001704:Biopolymers / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry; D002794:Choline / Q000494:pharmacology*; D052578:Ionic Liquids / Q000494:pharmacology; D008031:Lignin / Q000378:metabolism*; D010209:Paper; D028223:Pinus / Q000187:drug effects; D059027:Recycling; D012995:Solubility; D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000085:Acetates; D001704:Biopolymers; D052578:Ionic Liquids; D012996:Solutions; D014867:Water; C036909:lignocellulose; D002482:Cellulose; D008031:Lignin; C027433:bagasse; D002794:Choline
keywords: Biomass; Biopolymer recovery; Ionic liquids; Pulping