Cellulose, the most abundant feedstock of chemicals and energy is extracted from various agro-industrial wastes, such as sugarcane bagasse (SB). Pretreatment of SB with ionic liquids improves extraction of cellulose, yet the use of ionic liquid is hindered by its high cost. In this study, cellulose was extracted from SB pretreated with methyltrioctylammonium chloride under relatively mild conditions. The extracted cellulose from pretreated SB (PTB) and untreated SB (UTB) was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and FTIR. Fermentation of cellulose extracted from PTB by a thermophilic bacterium, Bacillus aestuarii UE25, yielded 245.16% higher titers of cellulase than cellulose extracted from UTB. The recyclability of the IL was assessed to make the pretreatment process cost effective and was monitored through TLC and FTIR. The results of this research demonstrated the potential of ionic liquid pretreated SB for cellulose extraction and for its subsequent utilization in thermostable cellulase production.
