Guide to Extract Sea Buckthorn Oil with Supercritical CO2 Extraction Machine

Sea buckthorn

Seabuckthorn is an important plant for windbreak and sand fixation. There are more than 10 million mu of wild seabuckthorn forest in China, which is the country with the richest seabuckthorn resources in the world. Seabuckthorn can be eaten, and more importantly, it can be used as medicine. Read More: Sea Buckthorn Oil Wikipedia

Sea buckthorn oil

Seabuckthorn oil is extracted from the seeds and peel of seabuckthorn, which contains very rich nutrients and hundreds of living substances that are very precious to the human body. Modern medical research shows that seabuckthorn oil has strong sterilization, pain relief, tissue regeneration promotion and anti-cancer effects, so it can be widely used in industries such as medicine, nutritional cosmetics and health food.

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Sea buckthorn oil extraction process

The former Soviet Union is the first country in the world to develop and utilize seabuckthorn, and it is also the main producer of seabuckthorn oil, but the annual output of 100 tons is only 1/6 of the demand. Its production is extracted with organic solvents and non-toxic oils (such as refined sunflower oil).

In China, organic solvents are generally used, and extraction by pressing is also used. This type of production method has complicated process, low oil yield, or solvent residue, or low purity (the content of seabuckthorn oil by oil method is only 80%~90%), which affects its application.

Guidelines for Supercritical CO2 Fluid Extraction of Sea Buckthorn Oil

The technological process of using supercritical CO2 fluid to extract seabuckthorn oil is: seabuckthorn seed (pericarp)→pretreatment→supercritical CO2 fluid extraction→tertiary separation→seabuckthorn oil.

CO2 Extraction Technology of Seabuckthorn Oil

The supercritical CO2 fluid enters from the bottom of the extractor, passes through the crushed seabuckthorn seed (pericarp) layer, brings out the dissolved substances such as active ingredients, and enters three separators in turn, using different temperatures and pressures, in the three separators Seabuckthorn oil and water are obtained separately.

This CO2 extraction process can separate CO2 fluid from seabuckthorn oil and water better, and the oil yield can reach more than 90%.
Seabuckthorn oil is extracted by supercritical CO2 fluid extraction technology, which overcomes the problems existing in the existing extraction methods, and can obtain seabuckthorn oil with high quality and high yield.

CO2 Extraction Process Parameters of Seabuckthorn Oil

The main factors affecting supercritical CO2 fluid extraction are extraction pressure, temperature, particle size, filling amount of materials in the extraction kettle, and extraction time. Selecting appropriate process conditions can obtain a higher yield. The suitable extraction pressure is 20~30Mpa, the extraction temperature is 35~40℃, and the extraction time is 5h. During the operation, the material loading amount should be selected according to the actual situation of the material basket, and the high-pressure space of the equipment should be fully utilized as much as possible. The choice of particle size should also be moderate. Generally, the particle size is less than 1.2mm, but too small is not conducive to system adjustment and stable operation.

Index	Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil CO2 Extract	Sea Buckthorn Peel Oil CO2 Extract	Chinese national standard
Refractive index	1.476~1.479	1.454~1.465	1.466~1.475
Relative density	0.925-0.928	0.884-0.895	0.8984-0.9285
Acid value	<8.5	50-120	<14.5
Iodine value	140-160	64-74	130~200
Saponification price	200~220	185-195	140-220
a-tocopherol	70~120	75~150	protoxin E>50
ß-Carotene	>20	>20
Saturated fatty acid	11~12	30-50	<25
Unsaturated fatty acid	87-88	44-63	>75

The seabuckthorn oil extracted by supercritical CO2 fluid has clear color, good quality, and no solvent residue, and its various indicators have reached the Chinese provisional standards.

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