Ionic Liquids (ILs)

ILs are low symmetric weak intra-molecular organic cationic salts in cyclic, aromatic and long alkyl chains with good distribution of charges. These remain in liquid phase below 100°C. ILs can solubilize different lignocellulosic biomass, including softwood, hardwood and all grasses at low temperature. In addition, using ILs can reduce the cost of saccharification enzymes. Factors including high costs and the difficulty in recycling ILs are major barriers in the commercialization of this technology. The current market price of imidazolium IL is around $500/kg (Drapcho et al. 2008).