Regeneration of Cellulose from Ionic Liquids Using Organic Anti-solvents

초록

Woody biomass constitutes the most significant biological waste in the world. Cellulose, a significant part of woody biomass, can be converted into various chemicals. One way to extract cellulose is dissolving biomass in ionic liquids. Because of the high cost of ionic liquids, recycling them is essential. While water is used as an anti-solvent, the strong interactions between the ionic liquids and water lead to significantly higher energy demand for the separation of ionic liquids from water than the separation of ionic liquids from other organic solvents. This study investigated organic solvents with low boiling points and various polarities as anti-solvents to explore their influence on the structural and thermal characteristics of cellulose regenerated from ionic liquids. Scanning electron microscopy images and X-ray diffraction data showed that the crystalline peaks of cellulose regenerated using organic solvents and water collapsed. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that the decomposition temperatures shifted to lower temperatures after the extraction. We found that the characteristics of cellulose regenerated using organic anti-solvents were similar to those of cellulose regenerated using water in terms of structure and thermal stability. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Korean Institute of Chemical Engineers 2025.

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