Porous and non-porous cellulose membranes have been produced using a novel solvent system. The membranes were made from cellulose alone or blended with another polysaccharide. Porous cellulose membranes had pore sizes around 200 nm while blended membranes were around 1000 nm. Characterization found the cellulose-only membrane had a cellulose II crystal structure while the blended membrane was amorphous. The blended membrane absorbed more water and had improved strength and flexibility compared to cellulose-only membranes.