Kinetic models for supercritical CO2 extraction of oilseeds - a review

Abstract

The supercritical fluid extraction of oilseeds is gaining increasing interest in commercial application for the last few decades, most particularly thanks to technical and environmental advantages of supercritical fluid extraction technology compared to current extraction methods with organic solvents. Furthermore, CO2 as a solvent is generally recognized as safe (GRAS). At present moment, supercritical fluid extractions on a commercial scale are limited to decaffeination, production of soluble hops extracts, sesame seed oil production and extraction of certain petroleum products. When considering industrial application, it is essential to test the applicability of the appropriate model for supercritical fluid extraction of oilseeds used for scale up of laboratory data to industrial design purposes. The aim of this paper is to review the most significant kinetic models reported in the literature for supercritical fluid extraction.