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Toward Industrialization of Ionic Liquids

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Commercial Applications of Ionic Liquids

Part of the book series: Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology ((GCST))

Abstract

By the end of 2018, more than 80,000 scientific papers were published, and 17,000 patent applications were filed on ionic liquids . The field experienced an archetypal hype cycle, with inflated expectations followed by a period of disillusionment, and is now on an upward slope of enlightenment. While there are no massive-scale applications of ionic liquids today, and the market remains behind the mid-term forecasts, there are many indications that ionic liquids will become a commercial success story. This chapter summarizes critical statements collected by surveying 25 academic and industrial leaders. Recent market developments are discussed and evaluated, including 57 ionic liquid applications that have been commercialized or are being developed on a pilot scale as of 2019. By comparison, there were only 13 commercial and pilot applications in 2008. In conclusion, the author is confident that the field will soon reach maturity and ionic liquids will enter megatrend mass markets.

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Acknowledgements

The author is grateful to the participants of the survey for their support and to Dr. Aaron Socha (Queens University of Charlotte) for his proofreading. He is also grateful to colleagues from industry and academia for helpful comments during the extensive research for ionic liquid implementations: Dr. Uwe Vagt (BASF SE), Dr. Thomas Schubert (IoLiTec GmbH), Dr. Hye Kyung Timken (Chevron), PD Dr. Marco Haumann (Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-NĆ¼rnberg), and Prof. Dr. James H. Davis, Jr. (University of South Alabama).

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  1. proionic GmbH, Raaba-Grambach, Austria

    Roland S. Kalb

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  1. Roland S. Kalb
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Correspondence to Roland S. Kalb .

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  1. Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA

    Mark B. Shiflett

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Kalb, R.S. (2020). Toward Industrialization of Ionic Liquids. In: Shiflett, M. (eds) Commercial Applications of Ionic Liquids. Green Chemistry and Sustainable Technology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35245-5_11

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