Dissolution of Cellulose and Lignin with Biobased Ionic Liquids

Choline-based ionic liquids, involving various alkyl chains lengths and carboxylates derived from biobased acids, have been synthetized with high yields through a three step procedure. These biobased ionic liquids showed excellent solubilisation properties for cellulose and lignin under mild conditions. Cellulose could be dissolved up to 32.5% and lignin up to 65.4% without transformation towards amorphous state. Comparison with commercial ionic liquids or commonly used ones has been also realized and discussed. The good dissolution of these two biopolymers in biobased ionic liquids will allow the design of new biomaterials from cellulose or lignin and the isolation of many molecules presenting interest in the chemical industry.