Microwave-Assisted Treatment of Waste Wood Biomass with Deep Eutectic Solvents

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are new sustainable and cheap reaction media combining the features of both ionic liquids and organic solvents. They are made up by association of hydrogen-bond donors and hydrogen-bond acceptors, and they can promote the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic bonds. Herein the microwave-assisted treatment of waste wood flours with a DES constituted by choline chloride and oxalic acid to get a cellulosic residue separated from lignin degradation products is reported. The insoluble deposit is characterized by SEM, TGA, DSC, FTIR-ATR, and H-1-C-13 CP/MAS NMR techniques and can be available for further uses such as nanocellulose production.