Rhianna Wolsleger, Dixie State University
Biofuels are an increasingly popular alternative to the dwindling supply of fossil fuels, affording a cheaper, recyclable, and more environmentally friendly solution to high-impact extraction methods. Current methods of biofuel production require energy intensive methods to isolate the product from the biological cultures. Ionic liquids provide an efficient solvent to extract the biofuels; however, the separation from the ionic liquid is done by distillation, which is an energy intensive and therefore expensive method. This research explores the use of carbon dioxide at room temperature to switch biofuel solubility, thus providing a inexpensive, green, and energy efficient method of separation. This affords less energy expenditure in the recycling of the ionic liquid and potentially allow for a continuous process method of biofuel production.