Dissolution of highly molecular weight cellulose isolated from wheat straw in deep eutectic solvent of Choline/l-Lysine hydrochloride

Green solvents for cellulose dissolution is a key topic for green chemistry, especially natural cellulose with high molecular weight, and there are scarce solvents reported. Deep eutectic solvent (DES) is a typical kind of green solvent that has been attracted much attention recently. Here, high molecular weight natural cellulose (DP > 3000) was first isolated from wheat straw and then be directly dissolved in the choline/l-lysine (Ch/Lys) DES. The solution owns excellent stability, and the solubility reaches ∼5%. Rheological studies revealed that the natural cellulose can be well dispersed in the DES solution and showed gelation at high concentrations. The dissolved cellulose can be regenerated when the dilute acid aqueous solution was added into the solution. It provides an energy conversation and an environmentally friendly route to prepare a cellulose solution, which makes it possible to convert cellulose to valuable chemicals and materials in its homogeneous solution.