Zahari S.M.S.N.S.Amin A.T.M.Halim N.M.Rosli F.A.Halim W.I.T.A.Samsukamal N.A.Sasithran B.Ariffin N.Z.Azman H.H.Hassan N.H.Othman Z.S.2024-05-282024-05-28201897807400000000094243X10.1063/1.50412452-s2.0-85048852262https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85048852262&doi=10.1063%2f1.5041245&partnerID=40&md5=bac3482c7e69e960f697c77ca29327f0https://oarep.usim.edu.my/handle/123456789/8908Ionic liquids (ILs) are known to be very effective at deconstructing biomass, but, they are typically 5-20 times more expensive than molecular solvents; this is a major impediment to the utilisation of ILs in biorefinery applications. In view of this, this paper is the first to report a preliminary study on the use of inexpensive and bifunctional triethylammonium hydrogen sulfate ionic liquid, [N2220][HSO4] IL, in deconstructing two Malaysian agro-wastes, oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) and coconut husk. The [N2220][HSO4] IL was synthesised via simple acid-base neutralisation route between two inexpensive precursors: sulfuric acid, H2SO4, and triethylamine, N222. The results of deconstruction of OPEFB and coconut husk under the applied conditions, IL/H2O (80/20 wt/wt) at 120�C for 2 h, proved that the IL provided bifunctional action as: a Br�nsted acid catalyst that hydrolysed chemical bonds linking carbohydrate-rich-material (cellulose and hemicellulose) and lignin fractions, and; a delignification agent that dissolved lignin, separating the biopolymer from the carbohydrate-rich-material. The outcomes of this study indicate that the deconstruction of Malaysian agro-wastes for isolating valuable biopolymers can be performed in a more economical and effective way using the [N2220][HSO4] IL.en-USConference Paper1972