Chapter 2 - Recapitulation on the separation and purification of biomolecules using ionic liquid-based aqueous biphasic systems

Abstract

Aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) are a unique and sustainable technique used for the separation and purification of biomolecules. The inclusion of a versatile solvent: ionic liquid (IL) in place of conventional solvent in ABS has proved to be an advantageous alternative. The most important tailor-made physico-chemical properties of IL provide more stability, flexibility, efficiency, and biocompatibility to ABS. IL-based ABS have been extensively demonstrated for the extraction and purification of an array of materials starting from small organic molecule phenol to macromolecule DNA. This chapter comprises research and developments reported from 2000 to date on the applicability of IL-based ABS in the extraction, separation, and purification of biomolecules: amino acids, enzymes, proteins nucleic acids. It gives an idea about various types of IL-based ABS reported so far for the separation and purification of biomolecules. The comprehensive details on factors responsible for separation, extraction efficiency of ABS, and recovery rate of biomolecules are also discussed. Additionally, the advantages and challenges that occurred during the implementation of IL-Based ABS are also presented. The information provided in this chapter will surely provide clear guidelines to the researchers for the designing of task-specific ABS for future work.