TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOLOGY - Preferred Components: The cellulase is a mix of endo-gluconases, exo-glucanases, and beta -glucosidases. The enzyme mixture can be modified to include other enzymes such as xylanases, arabinases, or simplified from conventional cellulase systems to achieve hydrolysis of ionic liquid (L1)-treated biomass. The cellulase is supplemented with beta -glucosidase. The enzymes can be recovered from biomass hydrolysates.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Method: The method (M1) further involves washing the pretreated biomass with a non-solvent of cellulose that is miscible with the ionic liquid (L1) prior to the step of converting the biomass to sugar. In the method (M1), the time and temperature during the step of ionic liquid (L1)-incubation of biomass is optimized to minimize the dissolution of hemicellulose and cellulose portions of biomass in the ionic liquid (L1), while swelling these matrices to enhance the penetration of hydrolyzing enzymes and water during the hydrolysis step. The step of pretreating incubates the biomass for 5 minutes to 8 hours at 50-200 degrees C. The ionic liquid (L1) is molten during incubation. The ionic liquid (L1) is any ionic liquid that is capable of disrupting the hydrogen-bonding structure of cellulose or hemicelullose represented by a cation structure that includes imidazolium, pyrroldinium, pyridinium, phosphonium, or ammonium and all functionalized analogs. The wash-solvent is water, an alcohol or acetonitrile or any solvent which dissolves the ionic liquid (L1) and thus extracts the ionic liquid (L1) from the biomass. The ionic liquid (L1) can be recovered from the wash-solvent and any dissolved biomass components from the wash-step through suitable separation methods including activated charcoal treatment, distillation, membrane separation, electro-chemical separation techniques, solid phase extraction, and liquid-liquid extraction. The ionic liquid (L1) recovered is reused for pretreatment of more biomass. The improved hydrolysis rates allows saccharification with low enzyme loadings. The cellulose is converted to six carbon sugars. The hemicellulose is converted to five and six carbon sugars. The optimal contact time and temperature during the ionic liquid (L1)-incubation step depends on heating during incubation. The optimal contact time and temperature during the ionic liquid (L1)-incubation step is changed depending on the size and nature of the biomass particles used. The large particles of wide size distribution can be effectively pretreated with ionic liquid (L1). The time required for complete enzymatic hydrolysis is within 16 to 36 hours for two of the representative biomass samples i.e. corn stover and poplar. The incubation of biomass with ionic liquid can tolerate at least 10% of dissolved water. The swelling is at least 30%. The optimal conditions is depending on whether the mixture was subjected to conventional heating with agitation or microwave irradiation with intermittent agitation. The ionic liquid (L1) mixture with a composition is described by equation as given in the specification. The method (M2) further involves adding cellulose to the washed biomass to hydrolyze the cellulose and hemicellulose to sugar. In the method (M2), the post-saccharification solid residue is predominantly lignin. The swelling is at least 30%. Preferred Liquid: The ionic liquid (L1) is of formulae (H1) and (H2).R1-R6=1-15C alkyl (optionally substituted with sulfone, sulfoxide, thioether, ether, amide, hydroxyl or amine), 2-10C alkene or H;A1=chloride, fluoride, bromide, iodide, hydroxide, formate, acetate, propanoate, butyrate, any functionalized mono or di carboxylic acid having up to total of 10 carbon atoms, succinate, lactate, aspartate, oxalate, trichloroacetate, trifluoroacetate, dicyanamide, or carboxylate.Preferred Components: The alcohol is ethanol or methanol or butanol or propanol. SPECIFIC COMPOUNDS - 5 Compounds are specifically claimed as the ionic liquid (L1) i.e. 1-n-butyl-3- methylimidazolium chloride (T1), 1-allyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride, 3-methyl-N-butylpyridinium chloride, 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium acetate and 1-ethyl-3-methyl imidazolium propionate.    EXAMPLE - Corn stover glucan was incubated for 10 minutes, 1 or 3 hours and at 130 degrees C or 150 degrees C in 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. Corn stover was mixed with 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride to form a biomass (5 wt.%) in the mixture. The mixture was incubated with mixing at 130 degrees C or 150 degrees C for 10 minutes, 1 hour and 3 hours. The 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride was extracted from the biomass by addition of water, centrifuged and the supernatant was removed. The solid residue was washed until 1-n-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride was completely extracted. The washed solid was added to a reaction buffer to form a mixture of biomass solids (1 wt.%) in the buffer. Spezyme CP (RTM: cellulase) (used at a concentration of 20 FPU (filter paper units)/g corn stover) was then added, and then conversion of corn stover glucan to glucose was measured at 130 degrees C for 3 hours, and at 150 degrees C for 3 hours. The results showed that the conversion of corn stover glucan to glucose at 130 degrees C for 3 hours was 70%, and the conversion of corn stover glucan to glucose at 150 degrees C for 3 hours was 100%.