Ionic liquids (ILs) are an extremely molecularly flexible class of solvents producing a wide range of properties.  While their human and environmental impacts vary widely, their exceedingly-low volatility eliminates fugitive emissions.  However, ionic liquids' low volatility and relatively higher viscosity often requires different processing techniques from conventional solvents.  Combining compressed or supercritical gases with ionic liquids leads to mutual benefit for each technology platform for a number of processes.  This presentation will illustrate several of our group's current projects combining compressed gases and ionic liquids ranging from reactions, separations, engineering cycles, and biomass processing.      The synthesis of ionic liquids themselves in supercritical (SCF) or CO2-expanded solvents (CXLs) have been investigated and shown to have a number of processing advantages over conventional solvents especially the possibility to combine reaction and separation.  Alternatively, the ionic liquid may be able to provide advantages in the post-processing of reaction or extraction processes that use supercritical or CO2-expanded liquids.  Engineering applications in power cycles may also benefit from the combination of ILs and compressed gases.  Compressed CO2 may also benefit separations involving biomass and biomolecules in ionic liquids.  Regardless of the application, knowledge of chemistry, kinetics, thermodynamics, and transport phenomena are all required to optimize these systems.

Ionic liquids and compressed gases: Reactions, separations, and materials processing

247th National Meeting (2014)

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