Green Thermo-Mechano-Chemical Processing for the Recovery of Lignocellulosic Biomass Components

Abstract

The components of lignocellulosic biomasses are attractive material alternatives for petroleum-derived products as they are renewable bioresources. However, their applicability is currently stunted by their acid-heavy production processes which are not environmentally safe and present serious safety hazards. In this work, a batch mixer process involving an ionic liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride), an environmentally friendly solvent, was developed and investigated. This reactive process was explored for (1) lignin extraction from wood flour and (2) cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) production from cellulose. In both applications, high yields for lignin recovery and CNC production were achieved at high solid loadings and shorter residence times compared to traditional treatment method. The quality of the lignin and CNC products were also preserved and were determined to be competitive with similar commercial products.