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AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsStacie Ellen Hecht, Raymond Louis Niehoff, Karunakaran Narasimhan, Charles William Neal, Paul Arlen Forshey, Dean Van Phan, Anju Deepali Massey Brooker, Katherine Helen Combs
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Methods for using ionic liquids to extract and separate a biopolymer from a biomass containing the biopolymer are disclosed. Methods for dissolving a biopolymer in an ionic liquid are also disclosed. A recovery solvent is used to reduce the solubility of the biopolymer in the ionic liquid and conventional separation techniques are used to recover the biopolymer. Biopolymers encompassed by this invention include chitin, chitosan, elastin, collagen, keratin and polyhydroxyalkanoate.
A method for dissolving biopolymers comprising mixing a biopolymer with an ionic liquid in its fluid state and in the substantial absence of water to form a mixture, wherein the biopolymer is keratin.
A method for separating a biopolymer from a biomass containing the biopolymer comprising the steps of mixing the biomass with an ionic liquid in its fluid state and in the substantial absence of water to form a mixture;
A method for extracting a biopolymer from a biomass containing the biopolymer comprising the step of contacting the biomass with an ionic liquid in its fluid state and in the substantial absence of water, and extracting the biopolymer from the biomass, wherein the biopolymer is keratin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.