New product EMIM-OOc - Acceptance of the Galactica project “Iroony® IL"

Appointment of Bernhard Ludwig as new Executive Director
We are proud to announce the appointment of DDI Bernhard Ludwig as proionic’s Executive Director. Bernhard started his career after university at VTU Engineering working as a project manager in turn-key-plant projects. In 2018, he joined proionic as Head of Operations and Sales. His engineering background has always been a real benefit for the company since this know-how is a key for our upscaling and process optimization activities.

Former Executive Director Dr. Michael Koncar has withdrawn from the operative business but remains as the main shareholder of proionic. He founded VTU Engineering in 1990, a company active in chemical plant engineering and construction with more than 900 employees today. In 2010 the group acquired 85% of proionic and it was his main task to further develop the company. In 2018, Michael Koncar acquired through his company KonValue most of proionic shares and holds shares of several other innovative companies.

Bernhard Ludwig on his appointment: “I am very pleased to have been chosen to lead proionic into the next exciting phase of its journey. I am really looking forward to continuing the ambitious course that has been taken and to achieve further success in the years to come. We aim to strengthen our role as a leading producer of ionic liquids by adressing the pressing global challenges for more sustainable and greener industrial solutions and by supporting companies to commercialize their ionic liquid based applications."

“Ionic liquids can be applied in a wide range of different industries. In our opinion the greatest potential lies in the fields of (bio-) polymers and electrolytes. Thus, our future activities will mainly focus on these segments. We will do our best to further lower the entrance barriers for customers to apply ionic liquid-based technologies.”

proionic is further pleased to announce the acceptance of the Galactica project “Iroony® hemp textile materials by ionic liquid-based manufacturing” (short name “Iroony® IL”) within the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

This project focuses on the development of an advanced ionic liquid-based manufacturing process. The dissolution and extraction of cellulose from agricultural annual plants, especially from hemp stalks and hemp hurds will be optimized by using the ionic liquid Choline Lysinate (Chol Lys). Goal is to produce prototypes and validate them in the whole value chain and relevant environment. In contrast to synthetic fibers that depend on fossil raw materials, cellulose based fibers are biodegradable and do not harm the environment.

Preliminary results showed that the bio-based ionic liquid Chol Lys is highly effective in the dissolution of hemp feedstock. Due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability, Chol Lys represents a more sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to standard solvents for cellulose processing.
During the next 6 months, proionic will work with RBX Créations, a French company, founded in 2016 by brother and sister Charles and Anne Reboux, focusing on the use of hemp as raw material to produce successfully new materials under the registered trademark “Iroony®”.

“This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 872336. The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EISMEA nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.”

EMIM-Octanoate as new standard product

proionic has further broadened its webshop by EMIM Octanoate. Based on our Carbonate Based Ionic Liquid Synthesis (CBILS®, a registered trademark of proionic GmbH) process, we offer EMIM Octanoate in high quality (≥ 98%).
EMIM Octanoate is liquid at room temperature and stable against hydrolyses in water. EMIM Octanoate is highly soluble in water and DMSO.
Like EMIM Acetate (product number 00102.3000) and BMIM Acetate (product number 00202.3000), EMIM Octanoate is a coordinating ionic liquid with unprecedented properties for dissolution and processing of biomass.1-3

1 Hermanutz, F., et. al.; J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013, 128 (6), 4141
2 Hermanutz, F., et. al; Macromol. Mater. Eng., 2019, 304, 1800450
3 Buchmeiser, M. R., Hermanutz, F., et. al.; Cellulose, 2021, 28, 3055

PRODUCT SPECIFICATION: 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium octanoate [EMIM-OOc]

CAS: 1154003-55-0
Chemical formula: C14H26N2O2
Molecular weight: 254,38 g/mol

Melting point: < room temperature
Density @ 25°C: 1,0018 g/cm3
Viscosity @ 25°C: 562,7 mPa*s

Give us a call or send us an email.
For more information on the properties of EMIM octanoate or ionic liquids as solvents for biomass dissolution in general, please contact
Markus Damm
Head of R&D
markus.damm@proionic.com
T: +43 (664) 889 339 43

„proionic believes in the future of ionic liquids as green solvents. That’s why we are expanding our webshop with EMIM Octanoate, a rather unknown but highly interesting ionic liquid with coordinating properties, allowing a smooth and gentle dissolution of biomass.”