Preparation of Cellulose-Rich Materials From Cornstalks Using Biodegradable Ionic Liquids

In our work, we obtained cellulose-rich materials via utilizing a kind of economic biodegradable IL, choline acetate ( [ChO][OAc] ), demonstrating the possibility of the partial dissolution and separation of cornstalks after mild grinding. The selected [ChO][OAc] IL presents very low toxicity, due to the benign nature of the cation and its high biodegradation potential which was evaluated under aerobic conditions. Delignification of cornstalks using the [ChO][OAc] IL was successfully achieved that lignin content decreased from 14% of cornstalk raw materials to 2% of undissolved residue under mild conditions. Thus, cellulose-rich materials accounting for 98% could be obtained. Furthermore, the cellulose fibre from [ChO][OAc] solutions can be regenerated to form cellulose membrane on a glass plate. In this way, partial separation of the cornstalk components becomes available with relative efficient, nontoxic and biodegradable ionic liquids.