Response surface optimization of ionic liquid pretreatments for maximizing cellulose nanofibril production.

Pretreatments with aqueous protic ionic liquid (PIL)-ethanolamine bis(oxalate) ([MEA][(HOA)(HOA)]), combined with ultrasonic disintegration, were employed in cellulose nanofibril (CNF) production from pulp fibers. The optimization of pretreatment parameters is crucial for obtaining the maximum CNF yield. The response surface methodology was used to design the pretreatment conditions for preparing CNFs.