Recently, the Green Processing Innovation Team of the Institute of Agricultural Products Processing, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, constructed a sodium chloride catalyzed γ-valerolactone and water-miscible solvent system, which realized the green and efficient separation of lignocellulosic components and the recycling of γ-valerolactone. The relevant research results were published in the Carbohydrate Polymers journal.

Sweetpotatoes, as a globally important food crop, the large amount of vines produced after harvest are often improperly disposed of as agricultural waste, leading to resource waste and environmental pollution. Studies have shown that sweetpotato vines are rich in lignocellulose, making them an ideal raw material for the preparation of bio-based materials. In view of the problems such as solvent pollution, high energy consumption, and incomplete component separation in traditional pretreatment methods, there is an urgent need to develop green and efficient strategies for the full component utilization of sweetpotato vines.

The scientific research team created a sodium chloride catalytic green solvent pretreatment system, which selectively breaks the chemical bonds of hemicellulose and lignin by reducing the pH value of the system and destroying the hydrogen bond network, ensuring the integrity of the cellulose structure, achieving efficient extraction of cellulose from sweet potato vines, and efficient separation of hemicellulose and lignin and recycling of green solvents, providing a new strategy for the high-value utilization of agricultural waste, and has a certain significance for promoting the production of bio-based materials and the development of sustainable bio-refining.

This research was supported by the China Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Project and other projects.