Ionic liquids in separation and preconcentration of organic and inorganic species

Abstract Increasing environmental pollution from the energy industries is a social issue that has engaged scientists to design sustainable chemical processes to produce less hazardous materials and an environmentally friendly source of energy generation. Ionic liquids (ILs), known as green molten media, attract more attention in the industrial fields due to their unique properties, including low melting point, low vapor pressure, high conductivity, nonflammability, and chemical stability. ILs are regarded as promising material for the separation and extraction of bioactive materials and as diverse organic or inorganic compounds from their origins. They have been investigated as solvents, cosurfactants, cosolvents, and electrolytes, as well as for their use in the design of IL-based materials for different separation purposes. In this part, the roles of IL-based systems that can be proposed as alternatives for common organic solvents are described.