Abstract
We investigated chemical characteristics of wood materials such as Abies sachalinensis sawdust and Acacia mangium mechanical pulp treated with an ionic liquid, 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C4mim] Cl). The residue from both Abies sachalinensis sawdust and Acacia mangium mechanical pulp treated with [C4mim] Cl decreased with increasing temperature and time. The dissolution behavior of Abies sachalinensis sawdust and Acacia mangium mechanical pulp toward [C4mim] Cl at 120°C was similar. On the other hand, FT-IR spectra of Abies sachalinensis sawdust treated with [C4mim] Cl showed a decrease of the peak at 1050 and 896 cm-1 from carbohydrates such as cellulose and hemicellulose in wood, and an increase of the peak at 1507 and 858 cm-1 from the lignin. In addition, glucose in the Acacia mangium mechanical pulp treated with [C4mim] Cl decreased rapidly, although the lignin contents increased. Thus, these results indicate that the dissolution rates of carbohydrates such as cellulose and hemicellulose in wood components are much faster than that of lignin. Consequently, the lignin is clarified to be concentrated in the residue by the dissolution of wood material in [C4mim] Cl.
