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6 Rules of Invest in Supercritical CO2 Extraction Machine

Before investing in supercritical CO2 extraction, to make supercritical fluid extraction technology work, the following issues must be paid attention to.

Rules 1#: Market Analysis of CO2 Extract

Supercritical CO2 Extraction Machine
Automatic Supercritical CO2 Extraction Machine

When choosing the target CO2 extract, it is necessary to conduct a market analysis to see how big the market demand is and whether the market is stable and long-lasting. Generally speaking, the price of large batches of target extracts will not be high, and the demand for high-value CO2 extracts cannot be large.
And because of this. When deciding to adopt the supercritical CO2 extraction process and the selection of supercritical CO2 extraction equipment, it is necessary to do a good job in market research and product selection. It is required that the CO2 extract produced by this technology should not only have high added value but also have a relatively long-lasting market share of a certain scale. The price of CO2 extract must be investigated according to mass production, and must not be based on the price of small packages in the reagent manual. The priceless CO2 extract is insufficient.

Rules 2#: Feasibility Analysis of CO2 Extraction Process

Analyze whether a targeted extract can be extracted with supercritical CO2, such as tea polyphenols, ginkgo flavonoids, puerarin, etc., are not suitable for supercritical CO2 fluid extraction;

Compared with other technologies, whether supercritical CO2 fluid extraction is the most economical extraction method, for example, the extraction cost of ginger oil is much higher than that of steam stripping;

When extracting with supercritical CO2, co-solvents should not be used as much as possible. If it has to be used, careful experimental research is required, and special attention should be paid to how to further process the CO2 extract containing co-solvents and how to recover the added entrainer. How to ensure the stability of entrainer concentration during carbon dioxide circulation extraction. More importantly, if flammable and explosive organic solvents such as ethanol, acetone, or methanol are used as hair entrainment agents, explosion-proof measures must be taken in the workshop, which will greatly increase the cost of the device.

Rules 3#: Economic Analysis of CO2 Extraction Process

When conducting preliminary economic analysis, it is also necessary to consider that the content of effective components in raw materials should not be too low (generally not lower than 1%), the apparent density of raw materials should not be too small (generally not less than 0.3t/m3), and the extraction time should not be too low. Too long (generally no more than 6 hours/batch), the solubility of effective components in supercritical CO2 fluid should not be too small (generally not less than 1‰). Otherwise, economic viability is questionable.

If the CO2 extract is an intermediate raw material for the production of pharmaceuticals, it is necessary to pay attention to the regulations and regulations of the pharmaceutical administration department and the quality requirements put forward by downstream manufacturers, such as requiring the production process to comply with GMP standards. To meet the requirements of the pharmaceutical administration, means that greater investment is required. Of course, for the extraction of active ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine, supercritical CO2 extraction is useful. But generally speaking, CO2 extraction products must be developed into medicines to stabilize benefits.

Rules 4#: CO2 extraction machine scale

The scale of CO2 extraction machines should not be too large, especially for the production of flavors and fragrances and CO2 essential oils. The scale of CO2 extraction machines must be controlled, and “one machine with multiple functions” should not be considered too much. The problem brought about by “one machine with multiple functions” is cleaning. The cost is high, the carbon dioxide must be replaced, and the product is prone to cross-contamination. Cross-contamination is the most taboo for spices and flavors, which makes the taste impure. Generally, the production equipment of flavors and fragrances is between tens of liters and hundreds of liters.

Rules 5#: Carbon dioxide source

When deciding to build an industrial-scale supercritical CO2 extraction machine, it must be determined whether there is an inexpensive and readily available source of carbon dioxide near the location of the production plant. Many valuable plant resources are distributed in remote areas with underdeveloped economies. Often, when these areas lack carbon dioxide resources, they have to be transported from far away places, which greatly increases transportation costs and reduces the competitiveness of products. Read More: What is the supercritical CO2?

Rules 6#: Do not let some CO2 extraction process research results mislead

Do not let immature and unsuccessful research results mislead you, and do not mistake the prospects of scientific research for the actual benefits of industrial production. Supercritical fluid extraction technology is a very new separation and extraction method that is highly valued at home and abroad. High technology, but its value must be scientific and accurate, and must not be too large. This is a scientific responsibility that all scientific and technological workers engaged in the research and development of this technology must undertake.