Surface Modification of 1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Chloride -Treated Lignocellulosic Materials

Lignocellulosic materials are generally considered hydrophilic due to the high density of hydroxyl groups. The use of lignocellulosic materials in hydrophobic systems thus require surface modification. Therefore, in this study, cellulose (MCC) and sawdust (SD) have been pretreated with ionic liquid, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (BMIMCl) prior to surface modification with cationic surfactant, hexadecyl trimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The effect of BMIMCl pretreatment prior to surface modification has been investigated. Crystallinity, functional group changes, morphology and thermal stability of the sawdust and cellulose upon BMIMCl pretreatment and surface modification have been studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). XRD results showed that the structure of lignocellulosic materials became more amorphous upon pretreatment with BMIMCl. FTIR results indicated that the modification of lignocellulosic is more efficient in BMIMCl-pretreated samples. Percentage of decomposition is higher for the BMIMCl-pretreated and CTAB modified samples.