Unveiling the environmental costs of lignocellulosic film production with ionic liquids: the case of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Ordonez, Diego Freire
Pontillo, Antonella Rozaria Nefeli
Dowell, Niall Mac
Welton, Tom
Lee, Koon-Yang
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Sustainable plastic film alternatives require more than simply adopting “green” feedstocks. This study presents a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) of lignocellulosic films produced using the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C2C1im][OAc]), including a single recycling cycle. Employing the ReCiPe 2016 framework, the environmental performance was evaluated across key impact categories: global warming potential (GWP), human health (HH), ecosystem quality (EQ), and resource scarcity (RS). The results reveal unexpectedly high environmental burdens, primarily driven by energy-intensive stages such as ionic liquid recovery, particularly freeze crystallisation and solvent evaporation. Electricity consumption and the production of the ionic liquid itself were consistently the dominant contributors across all categories, overshadowing the comparatively negligible impacts of lignin and cellulose. When benchmarked against commercial cellophane, the lignocellulosic films demonstrated substantially higher environmental impacts in every category assessed. These findings challenge the assumption that bio-based inherently equates to sustainable and highlight the urgent need for process optimisation, energy efficiency improvements, and integration of low-carbon power sources to unlock the true environmental potential of lignocellulosic film technologies.
Date Issued
2025-07-02
Date Acceptance
2025-05-14
Citation
RSC Sustainability, 2025, 3 (7), pp.3002-3008
ISSN
2753-8125
Publisher
The Royal Society of Chemistry
Start Page
3002
End Page
3008
Journal / Book Title
RSC Sustainability
Volume
3
Issue
7
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by the Royal Society of Chemistry Open Access Article. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence.
License URL
Subjects
Chemistry
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Engineering
Engineering, Chemical
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Science & Technology
Science & Technology - Other Topics
Technology
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2025-05-15