Investigation into the Pretreatment of Oil Palm Fronds (OPF) Using Choline Chloride-Based Deep Eutectic Solvent (DES) Integrated with Water

The high dependence on crude oil for energy utilization leads to a necessity of finding alternative sustainable resources. Being the second-largest palm oil producer, Malaysia abundantly generates hardwood residues such as oil palm fronds (OPF), making it a promising source for biorefinery into bioenergy and bio-based products. Thus, a green solvent, namely deep eutectic solvents (DESs), has significantly improved the process by transforming wood waste into high-value products. DESs are favourable of their relatively low cost, low toxicity and most importantly, efficient performance for lignocellulosic biomass processing. Therefore, applying DESs in the biorefinery ensures a bright horizon for harvesting bioenergy.