Two Birds with One Stone - Diverting Agriculture Waste to Fibers: The Application of Ionic Liquids in Solubilizing and Shaping Cellulose into Fibers and Films View Digital Media

Poster Session
Julie Rieland,  Brian Love  

Conventional industrial agriculture yields high volumes of inedible biomass consisting of stalks, leaves, peels, and fruit flesh. In the case of coffee, these agricultural residues can account for as much as 85% of the harvested mass. The disposal of sugary, fermentable residues poses problems due to the attraction of pests during composting, leading to the prevalence of high-volume pesticide use, burning, or dumping, which all have negative environmental tolls. An alternative method is proposed in which lignocellulosic residues are recaptured into the circular economy and shaped into value-added goods. The recent ability to transform purified cellulose and a variety of woody biomasses into cotton-like fibers using ionic liquid solvents has proven to be successful and scalable. However, the application of this process towards existing biomass waste streams presents a greater value proposition. Using the ionic liquid 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec7-enium acetate ([DBUH][OAc]) we have successfully produced fiber isolates from the by-products of both coffee and tequila processes with minimal purification. Fiber isolates have been characterized in terms of cellulose crystallinity and surface texture. Exploration is underway to better benchmark the necessary purification of raw biomasses to yield industrially relevant physical properties. Considerations towards ionic liquid recycling are also being made to account for environmental soundness and economic viability.