Influence of solid alkali application on corn stalk dissolution and degradation in solvent systems

In our study, solid alkali were produced and characterized by a series of methods. Dissolution of corn stalk was achieved in solvent systems at 170 °C for 5 h by cooking with solid alkali. The components of ionic liquid and water in solvent systems showed synergistic effects on lignocellulosic dissolution and degradation. Alkaline molecular sieves were proven to be the most effective solid alkali for lignin degradation, which promoted the dissolution efficiency of the corn stalk in solvent systems. Under the combined action of solid alkali and the nucleophilic component in solvent systems, lignin and hemicellulose in corn stalk were degraded. It effectively enhanced cellulose solubilization in solvent systems. The regenerated cellulose was demonstrated to be similar to microcrystalline cellulose according to Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance analyses. X-ray diffraction curves showed that the crystallinity of the regenerated cellulose is lower than that of microcrystalline cellulose.