Controlled Assembly of Lignocellulosic Biomass Components and Properties of Reformed Materials

Jing Wang; Ramiz Boy; Ngoc A. Nguyen; Jong K. Keum; David A. Cullen; Jihua Chen; Mikhael Soliman; Kenneth C. Littrell; David Harper; Laurene Tetard; Timothy G. Rials; Amit K. Naskar; Nicole Labbé

doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01639

Controlled Assembly of Lignocellulosic Biomass Components and Properties of Reformed Materials

Jing Wang, Ramiz Boy, Ngoc A. Nguyen, Jong K. Keum, David A. Cullen, Jihua Chen, Mikhael Soliman, Kenneth C. Littrell, David Harper, Laurene Tetard, Timothy G. Rials, Amit K. Naskar, Nicole Labbé

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Reforming whole lignocellulosic biomass into value-added materials has yet to be achieved mainly due to the infusible nature of biomass and its recalcitrance to dissolve in common organic solvents. Recently, the solubility of biomass in ionic liquids (ILs) has been explored to develop all-lignocellulosic materials; however, efficient dissolution and therefore production of value-added materials with desired mechanical properties remain a challenge. This article presents an approach to producing high-performance lignocellulosic films from hybrid poplar wood. An autohydrolysis step that removes ≤50% of the hemicellulose fraction is performed to enhance biomass solvation in 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]). The resulting biomass-IL solution is then cast into free-standing films using different coagulating solvents, yet preserving the polymeric nature of the biomass constituents. Methanol coagulated films exhibit a cocontinuous 3D-network structure with dispersed domains of less than 100 nm. The consolidated films with controllable morphology and structural order demonstrate tensile properties better than those of quasi-isotropic wood. The methods for producing these biomass derivatives have potential for fabricating novel green materials with superior performance from woody and grassy biomass.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	8044-8052
Number of pages	9
Journal	ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering
Volume	5
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01639
State	Published - Sep 5 2017

Funding

This work is dedicated to the friendship and memory of Dr. Luc Moens, an ionic liquid expert who made this research paper possible through his help and support over the years. This project was funded by the Southeastern Sun Grant Initiative and the University of Tennessee Office of Research. R.B., N.A.N, and A.K.N. acknowledge support from BioEnergy Technologies Office of the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, under Contract DE-AC05-00OR22725 with UT-Battelle, LLC. TEM (J.C., D.A.C., and R.B.), SAXS (J.K.K.), and SANS (K.C.L. and J.K.K.) experiments were conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) and GP-SANS beam-line, High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR); both are a DOE Office of Science User Facility. J.W. and R.B. contributed equally to this work.

Funders	Funder number
University of Tennessee Office of Research
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy	DE-AC05-00OR22725
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Bioenergy Technologies Office

Keywords

High performance lignocellulosic materials
Ionic liquid
Nanocomposite
Regenerated whole biomass
Small-angle X-ray scattering

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10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01639

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Wang, J., Boy, R., Nguyen, N. A., Keum, J. K., Cullen, D. A., Chen, J., Soliman, M., Littrell, K. C., Harper, D., Tetard, L., Rials, T. G., Naskar, A. K., & Labbé, N. (2017). Controlled Assembly of Lignocellulosic Biomass Components and Properties of Reformed Materials. ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 5(9), 8044-8052. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b01639

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AU - Cullen, David A.

AU - Chen, Jihua

AU - Soliman, Mikhael

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AU - Harper, David

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AU - Rials, Timothy G.

AU - Naskar, Amit K.

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Controlled Assembly of Lignocellulosic Biomass Components and Properties of Reformed Materials

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