Aqueous Two-Phase Systems Composed of Aminoate- and Carbamate-Based Ionic Liquids for Application in Protein Purification: Phase Equilibrium and Recyclability Routes

Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) has gained tremendous interest over the years because of its great potential, such as simplicity, biocompatibility and tunability for the purification of proteins, viruses, enzymes and other biomolecules. However, this technique has not been widely adopted in the biotechnology industry due to its low recyclability and impact on the environment. Cholinium aminoate ionic liquids (ILs) have proven to be readily biodegradable and low in toxicity, whereas carbamate-based ILs can be easily recovered through distillation. Therefore, these ILs were used in this study to serve as the novel phase-forming components in order to design green and sustainable ATPSs.