Recently, dealing
with generated heavy metal-contaminated biomasses
(HMCBs) harvested from phytoextraction process has drawn increasing
attention. In this study, the feasibility of an HMCB (willow) pretreatment
using a low-cost ionic liquid (IL), namely, triethylammonium hydrogen
sulfate [TEA][HSO4], is investigated to remove the high
contents of HMs prior to further thermochemical and biological valorization.
The operating variables were temperature (75–105 °C),
IL:biomass (10:1–30:1) ratio, and time (4–8 h) with
constant feedstock particle size (0.35 mm). According to results obtained
from response surface methodology–Box Behnken design (RSM–BBD),
the optimum conditions of the IL-based pretreatment of HMCB for maximum
HMs’ removal are temperature, 93 °C; IL:biomass ratio,
30:1; and time, 7.12 h. Under the optimum conditions, the IL is found
to solubilize lignin and hemicellulose respectively about 70.54% and
92.56%; and subsequently, effective removal of HMs from HMCB is obtained (Cu,
100%; Zn, 88.77%; Mn, 79.70%; Fe, 73.11%; Cd, 70.42%; Al, 34.53%;
and Cr, 18.17%), while Pb removal is negligible. The average amount
of confidence intervals of developed models is ∼95%, and generally,
the ratio of IL:biomass shows a higher effect on the efficiency of
biomass fractionation and HMs’ removal, compared with temperature
and time; however, interactions between the operating parameters are
negligible.