To date, there is only a limited number of established technologies to dissolve and process cellulose into various shaped products. Typically, an intermediate chemical derivatization is required to render cellulose soluble, with xanthation and the corresponding viscose process being the most widespread. However, this does not allow for the production of composite fibers as other biopolymers such as lignin cannot be solubilized in the same manner. This impedes the formation of homogeneous hybrid products in which various (bio)polymers are evenly embedded in a cellulose matrix. Direct cellulose solvents such as recently promoted ionic liquids can bypass this limitation and offer the possibility to valorize all wood constituents which allows for an alleviation in preceding refining processes.<br/>Herein we report the use of 1,5-diazabicyclo[4.3.0]non-5-enium acetate as direct solvent for cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin to produce hybrid filaments with excellent mechanical properties. We show that the intensity of pulp refining processes can be decreased drastically due to the high tolerance of the solvent towards different biopolymers. This allows to incorporate lignin and other functionalities into the cellulose matrix. Using a dry-jet wet spinning technique, continuous filaments of high mechanical performance were produced that are suitable for composite materials and could offer a sustainable alternative to currently overly used glass fibers.

Dissolution and processing of lignocellulose using an ionic liquid solvent: Towards the production of high performance materials

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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