Process for fermentive preparationfor alcolhols and recovery of product

A process for preparing butanol 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 Lactobacillus or a recombinant Lactobacillus;
• (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 butanol, or a portion thereof, is more soluble in the ionic liquid phase than the aqueous phase;
• and
• (c) separating the butanol-rich ionic liquid phase from the aqueous phase;
• and, optionally, recovering the butanol from the ionic liquid phase;
• wherein the ionic liquid is comprised of (i) a cation selected from the group consisting of pyridinium, imidazolium and phosphonium, and (ii) an anion selected from the group consisting of tetrafluoroborate, hexafluorophosphate, 1,1,2,3,3,3-hexafluoropropanesulfonate, tris(pentafluoroethyl)trifluorophosphate, 1,1,2-trifluoro-2-(perfluoroethoxy)ethanesulfonate, 1,1,2-trifluoro-2-(perfluoromethoxy)ethanesulfonate, 2-(1,2,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)-1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethanesulfonate, bis(pentafluoroethylsulfonyl)imide, and bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide.