Existing from 2011 to 2018, Hyrax Energy Inc. was using an improved method for extracting fermentable sugars from biomass to improve the economics of the cellulosic biofuel pipeline. The first startup company to emerge from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC), this ionic liquid-based technology provides a new way to transform biomass into biofuels and high-value chemicals without using enzymes or costly pretreatment steps. This simplified process produces a clean, concentrated fermentable sugar product that can be converted into innumerable chemicals or drop-in biofuels.