In this study, we isolated a novel endoglucanase (EG1) that exhibits optimal activity at pH 7 and 50 degrees C and retained >85% of its activity between pH 5 and 9 and >80% at 60 degrees C. In addition to its alkali tolerance, this EG1 is a halophilic enzyme as its activity was enhanced to 152% in the presence of 5 M NaCI. In this condition, optimal activity was observed at pH 8 and 70 degrees C. More interestingly, EG1 was active in the presence of an ionic liquid (IL) (100% and 80% activity in 5% and 10% [Bmim]Cl, respectively). Furthermore, it was extremely stable in the presence of various detergents, especially SDS (10%), which is a very rare property amongst fungal cellulases. All these properties make this enzyme suitable for many applications, mainly in biofuel, textile and detergent industries. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.