scCO2 Extractor
Supercritical CO2 (scCO2) is a phase of CO2 with very interesting physical properties. The CO2 is not strictly in the liquid or gas phase but somewhere in between: the supercritical phase. In this phase the CO2 exhibits both the properties of a gas (high diffusivity and low viscosity) and the properties of a liquid (high density), making scCO2 a very interesting extraction medium.
The scCO2 extractor is used in R&D and testing:
- The scCO2 extractor is used to perform extractions up to 150°C and 700 bar. In addition, a co-solvent pump allows to add other - more conventional - solvents, to influence the solubility properties of scCO2, and allows us to research the extraction of legacy additives from recycled plastics.
- The interest in the use of scCO2 as a green solvent for textile dyeing has grown in recent years.
- The scCO2 extractor also serves as a showcase to guide plastic converting companies, desiring to increase the recycled content in their products, and recycled plastics suppliers, desiring to market purified recyclates, in selecting an efficient technology to remove undesired chemicals.
Technical data
The SFE is a versatile "multi-solvent" extraction equipment with precise control of process parameters for analytical purposes:
- Extraction with supercritical CO2 at pressures up to 700 bar and temperatures up to 150°C allowing very high-pressure extraction over a very wide range of operating parameters and more opportunities to use supercritical CO2 as non-flammable, non-toxic and environment-friendly solvent.
- High pressure and subcritical water extraction up to 400 bar and 250°C.
| Components | Description |
|---|---|
| CO2 pump | Variable flow rate from 0 to 100 g/min |
| Variable pressure from 0 to 700 bar | |
| Extraction vessel | 200 ml |
| Oven | Used to heat the extraction vessel |
| Seperator | For extract separation / collection of extracts and CO2 recycling |
| Pressure Control | Back pressure regulator |
| Control Board | Display and record of process values |
scCO2 Extractor
The scC02 Extractor supports our research in the extraction of undesirable chemicals from recyclates. Supercritical CO2 can also be used as a green solvent for textile dyeing.
© Centexbel
Acknowledgements
The equipment has been acquired in the framework of the EFRO GTI project
