What is Superficial Fluid Extraction?

Among several supercritical fluid (abbreviated SCF) technologies, the earliest developed, most researched, and industrialized product technology is undoubtedly the supercritical fluid extraction (abbreviated SFE) technology.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is the process of separating one component (the extractant) from another (the matrix) using supercritical fluids as the extracting solvent.

APPLICATION OF SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION

Supercritical CO2 extraction (SCFE) is used particularly in the food, beverage, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industry for extracting natural substances, aromas, fats, oils, waxes, polymers, enzymes, and colorants in their supercritical physical state.

CO2 is a natural and environmentally-friendly solvent that has advantages over synthetic and harmful media such as n-hexane when it comes to sustainability.

Carbon dioxide is the most common compound used in high-pressure extraction. It boasts a number of benefits compared to other solvents used for botanical extraction.

For starters, carbon dioxide is a non-toxic substance that is readily available commercially for lower costs than other chemical alternatives. In addition, carbon dioxide is environmentally safe, and straightforward to work with, and it creates a superior product typically free of any by-products or residue. Temperature, time, flow rate, and pressure can be manipulated to enable the precise extraction of specific plant compounds.

PRINCIPLE OF THE CO2 EXTRACTION PROCESS

Supercritical fluid extraction uses a supercritical fluid as the separation medium (extractant) and uses the fluid to have a highly enhanced dissolving ability in a supercritical state to achieve effective extraction of certain components (solutes) in the raw material, and then pass the temperature and the continuous adjustment of the pressure can reduce the density of the extractant, that is, reduce its solubility to the solute, so as to achieve high-efficiency separation of specific components in the raw material.