Tonova, KonstantzaKonstantzaTonovaLazarova, MadlenaMadlenaLazarova2018-10-222018-10-222018L:1843-5831 (online); 2457-837110.21698/simi.2018.fp05http://hdl.handle.net/123456789/1242International Symposium "The Environment and the Industry", 20-21 September 2018, Bucharest, Romania, pp. 46-53Macroalgae represent a worldwide spread renewable source of valuable biopolymers, polysaccharides and proteins that after pretreatment constitute an intermediate platform for microbial and chemical production. In the present study the potential of some ionic liquids (ILs) to extract and hydrolyze the algal carbohydrates derived from Ulva sp. is examined and compared to the conventional inorganic acid catalysts, H2SO4 and HCl. The experimental results reveal that the IL, 1 -butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate, is superior to both acid auxiliaries in extracting carbohydrates. The capacity of this IL for splitting reducing sugars under the conditions of hydrothermal hydrolysis is comparable with the power of HCl, but higher than HCl in terms of monosugar fraction and protein released. The highest yields of reducing and monosugars and of protein are obtained by using the strong dibasic acid, H2SO4. It could, however, produce dehydration by–products which would incur inhibition of enzymatic and microbial processes fed by the algal liquor.AlgaCarbohydrateHydrothermal hydrolysisIonic liquidUlva sp.Symposium Proceedings