Process for fermentive preparation of alcohols and recovery of product

A process for preparing ethanol in a fermentation broth in a fermentor, comprising:

• (a) providing a liquid fermentation broth that is comprised of a carbohydrate substrate, nutrients and water in which an alcohol is produced by the growth of Saccharomyces or a recombinant Saccharomyces;
• (b) contacting at least one ionic liquid with the fermentation broth, or a portion thereof, to form from the resulting mixture an ionic liquid phase and an aqueous phase wherein the ethanol, or a portion thereof, is more soluble in the ionic liquid phase than the aqueous phase;
• and
• (c) separating the ethanol-rich ionic liquid phase from the aqueous phase;
• and, optionally, recovering the ethanol from the ionic liquid phase;
• wherein the ionic liquid is comprised of (i) a cation selected from the group consisting of pyrrolidone-2-one and imidazolium, and (ii) an anion selected from the group consisting of levulinate, bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide and hexafluoropropanesulfonate.