Green production of lignocellulose nanofibrils by FeCl3-catalyzed ethanol treatment

Hailong Lu; Lili Zhang; Ming Yan; Jun Ye; Kui Wang; Jianchun Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.10.114

Green production of lignocellulose nanofibrils by FeCl₃-catalyzed ethanol treatment

Int J Biol Macromol. 2023 Jan 1:224:181-187. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.10.114. Epub 2022 Oct 18.

Authors

Hailong Lu¹, Lili Zhang², Ming Yan³, Jun Ye⁴, Kui Wang⁵, Jianchun Jiang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210042, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Science & Technology of Ministry of Education, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China.
² Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: zhangll@njfu.edu.cn.
³ Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
⁴ Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210042, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China.
⁵ Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210042, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: wangkui@caf.ac.cn.
⁶ Institute of Chemical Industry of Forest Products, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Lab of Biomass Energy and Material of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing 210042, China; Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address: jiangjc@caf.ac.cn.

PMID: 36270400
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.10.114

Abstract

The traditional strategy for isolating cellulose nanomaterials requires various chemicals and a high energy input, while achieving a low product yield owing to lignin removal during pulping and bleaching. Here, we propose a green ethanol pretreatment process with a synergistic effect using ultrasound and FeCl₃ to produce lignocellulose nanofibrils (LCNF) with a high yield (over 67 %) from thermomechanical pulp. Notably, a high-aspect-ratio LCNF with uniformly distributed lignin nanoparticles, a high lignin content, and excellent thermostability (T_max > 330 °C) with a typical cellulose I crystalline structure were successfully obtained. In addition, reduced distillation can easily retrieve the FeCl₃ solution and ethanol, reducing reagent waste. In general, FeCl₃-catalyzed ethanol pretreatment can serve as a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach for converting sustainable lignocelluloses into high value-added nanomaterials. Moreover, the obtained LCNF can be applied in diverse fields.

Keywords: Ethanol pretreatment; Lewis acid catalyst; Lignocellulose nanofibrils.

MeSH terms

Catalysis
Cellulose / chemistry
Ethanol* / chemistry
Lignin* / chemistry

Substances

lignocellulose
Lignin
Ethanol
ferric chloride
Cellulose