Biofuels produced by microorganisms provide a unique opportunity for continuous production of fossil fuel alternatives. One significant challenge to the advance of this technology is that the hydrocarbons produced by bacteria tend to accumulate in or on the surface of the microbial cells, quickly reaching concentrations that are toxic to the bacteria. One approach to extract biofuels as they are produced in vivo is to use water-immiscible ionic liquids that can solvate the biofuels away from the bacterial cultures. For this to be effective, the ionic liquid extractants need to be nontoxic to the bacteria as well. Ionic liquids comprised of biocompatible amino acids as the anionic or cationic component were synthesized. To test for potential in a biofuel extraction process, the ionic liquids have also been tested for toxicity to bacteria of interest, and solubility of biofuels (hydrocarbons). These materials have potential to be used in a nontoxic, continuous extraction process for the large-scale production of biofuels.
