Supercritical CO2 technical services
Supercritical CO2 technical services
At Separeco we have set up a laboratory in such a way as to be able to carry out extraction tests on new matrices for our customers and establish with them an extraction set to trial the process and analyze the extract. We have ultra-high performance pilot machine and our laboratory is well-equipped advanced in order to meet customers’ needs. At the end of the series of extraction tests we draw up a detailed report for our customer to allow them to to make the necessary decisions.
There are also cases in which the customer simply wants to try the extraction from his own matrix before proceeding with the purchase of the machine and then proceed with the purchase.
Supercritical CO2 method development
With our machiney, it is possible to obtain high-quality extracts with excellent extraction yields, however, if you have not enough experience in the extraction with supercritical fluids, it is difficult to fine-tune the extraction process of your matrix and you can be disappointed by the efficiency obtained, far from the expectations.
At separeco we are organized to be able to help in your choose about the right characteristics of the matrix such as the degree of humidity, particle size and pre-treatment. We will also suggest you process techniques such as the correct filling of the basket, the definition of pressure and temperature and, very important, the time of residence, controlled by the CO2 flow rate. Separeco technicians will also determine the correct extraction kinetics for you by delivering a detailed report equipped with tables and graphs.
There are cases where you need to use uncommon strategies to get the desired result. This is the case of step extraction, which allows the process to be divided into several parts, each one with different pressure, temperature and flow rate parameters. In other cases, however, it is necessary to adopt a static/dynamic extraction, to give the CO2 the necessary time to penetrate into particularly difficult matrices. Furthermore, it may be necessary to resort to the use of small amounts of co-solvent, when the target compound is less soluble in CO2 than expected. All these strategies, once learned, can be easily applied in each of our machines, which is already set up for their use.
Supercritical CO2 new process recipe design
One of the main strengths of all our machines is an advanced control system that allows them to be able to work in a completely automatic way, managing the process autonomously. You can check the progress of the extraction process remotely
All the information that the machine needs in order to process the materials udndergoing the extraction process are writtenin the recipes.
The recipe is like a computer program: it controls step by step what the machine is about to do.
In our machines it is possible to memorize an unlimited number of recipes, each one specific for a different type of matrix.
In this way it is possible to set the best operating conditions for each specific solid matrix to be treated very quickly, simply load the recipe corresponding to the matrix loaded in your extractors. The recipes are written in a standard software language, called ISO. Anyone with knowledge of the ISO language can write a recipe from scratch and make the machine do what he wants. If your company does not have a similar professional figure, Separeco will write the recipe for you. Once written, we will send you the new recipe that you need.
All you need to do is simply to load it into the machine end start the extraction. Very easy!