Ionic Liquids in Chemical Separations

Dear Colleagues,

Ionic liquids (ILs) have become mainstream materials for a wide range of applications including chemical and gas separation processes. The null volatility of ILs, their wide liquid range, the advantageous environmental properties in terms of toxicity and biodegradability, as well as the possibility of adapting their structures to the specific tasks justify the industry and academia interest in developing ionic liquid-based separation processes.

The many possible ILs require a systematic analysis of the microscopic and macroscopic features of these fluids as well as their relationships with chemical separation for systems of industrial interest. Likewise, fundamental physicochemical properties and phase equilibria, which are required for process design purposes, need to be accurately measured in wide pressure and temperature ranges. Green aspects, such as environmental fate, water pollution, and biodegradability, need to be considered with caution as they are largely dependent on the type of ions considered.

This Special Issue is intended to provide a forum for reporting state-of-the-art developments of ILs in chemical and gas separation processes considering a broad perspective from experts in the fields of chemistry, chemical engineering, and materials science. Experimental studies on separation of metal or organic compounds, reduction of environmental pollutants, separation of biomolecules, two-phase aqueous processes, analytical chemistry applications, gas separation, and CO₂ capture are welcome. Systematic studies on thermophysical and physicochemical properties as well as thermodynamics analysis of ILs- based separation processes will also be considered. Multiscale molecular simulation studies, including quantum chemistry, molecular dynamics, and Monte Carlo methods, to infer microscopic features of relevant separation processes, will also be considered. Process design and analysis of operations involving ILs are of interest to show the scalability of ILs for industrial applications. Life cycle analysis and process economy are also suitable for considering the large-scale application of ionic liquids. Studies reporting novel applications and review articles are especially welcome.

We hope that this Special Issue will demonstrate the possibilities and drawbacks of ionic liquids and will provide a guide for new directions in sustainable separation processes.

Prof. Santiago Aparicio
Guest Editor

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