Effective pretreatment of lignin-rich coconut wastes using a low-cost ionic liquid

Coconut husks and shells are underutilised agricultural feedstocks in the bio-based industry. These biomass wastes have a higher lignin content than other woody biomass and have excellent potential as raw materials for the production of lignin-based materials. This work demonstrates the performance of a low-cost protic ionic liquid, N,N,N-dimethylbutylammonium hydrogen sulfate ([DMBA][HSO(4)]), for ionoSolv pretreatment of coconut husk and shell at 150 °C for 45–90 min and 170 °C for 15–60 min. Optimum pretreatment conditions were observed at 170 °C and 45 min for both feedstocks. At these conditions, [DMBA][HSO(4)] was able to remove almost 77 wt% of the lignin from the husk; leaving a cellulosic rich pulp behind, which released 82 % of the theoretical maximum glucose after enzymatic saccharification. The pretreated shell, by comparison, achieved 82 wt% lignin removal and 89 % glucose yield and these higher values could be attributed to the highly porous structure of coconut shell cell walls. The cleavage of the β-O-4 aryl ether linkages of lignin followed by extensive C–C condensation in the lignin at longer pretreatment times was shown by HSQC NMR analysis. This extensive condensation was evidenced by molecular weights > 10,000 g/mol exhibited by lignin precipitated after pretreatment at high temperature and long times. The high degree of lignin removal and high glucose release from both feedstocks demonstrate that [DMBA][HSO(4)] is an excellent ionic liquid for fractionation of very lignin-rich biomass.