Preparation of nanocellulose by hydrolysis with ionic liquids and two-step hydrolysis with ionic liquids and enzymes

The aim of this study was to compare parameters of nanocellulose obtained by two different procedures: hydrolysis with ionic liquids (1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate) and hydrolysis with ionic liquids in combination with hydrolysis using a cellulolytic enzyme from Trichoderma reesei. Avicel cellulose was treated with two ionic liquids: 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (AmimCl) and 1-ethyl 3-methylimidazolium acetate (EmimOAc). In the two-step hydrolysis cellulose after treatment with ionic liquids was additionally hydrolyzed with a solution of enzymes. In order to characterize the obtained material, the following analyses were used: infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and dynamic light scattering. The results indicated that cellulose obtained by two-step nanocellulose production methods (first hydrolysis with ionic liquids and then with enzymes) showed similar parameters (particle size, XRD patterns and degree of crystallinity) as the material after the one-step process, i.e. hydrolysis with ionic liquids.