We demonstrated a complete decomposition method for ionic liquids (ILs; organic cation part: butyl-methyl or ethyl-methyl
imidazolium, and inorganic anion part: PF
6 −, BF
4
− or Br
−) in aqueous media by combining a hydrothermal mineralization method with a photocatalytic decomposition (PD) method. As a
result, the hydrothermal treatment with Ca(OH)
2 mineralizer could effectively remove the inorganic anion part, such as PF
6
− or BF
4
− and the PD could decompose the organic cation part effectively. Therefore, the detoxification of ILs in aqueous media was
accomplished by the present method.
Keywords Ionic liquid - Detoxification - Titanium dioxide - Photocatalytic oxidation - Hydrothermal mineralization