Impact of Anti-Solvents on the Structural Features and Enzyme Digestibility of Regenerated Cellulose from Ionic Liquid Dissolution

bonds with the resulting linear polymeric chains having both inter- and intrachain hydrogen bonding in the crystalline structure (1,2). Although cellulose provides a potential glucose platform for biofuels and chemicals, it is resistant to hydrolysis due to its high crystallinity. Its insolubility in most conventional solvents has made cellulose utilization quite challenging. In recent years, however, ionic liquids (ILs) have been shown to be exceptional solvents for cellulose. The cellulose recalcitrance to enzymatic hydrolysis is greatly mitigated by the IL dissolution followed by recovery as a solid (regeneration) through the addition of an anti-solvent (3-7). The choice of anti-solvent has a dramatic influence on the morphology of regenerated cellulose and this, in turn, greatly impacts the enzyme digestibility of the cellulose