Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays from all of us at Applied Separations.

Supercritical Fluid Works!

Supercritical Fluid (SCF) technology works! With today's innovative, easy-to-use systems from Applied Separations, your idea will be tomorrow's green process! No petroleum solvents and no toxic residue.

Some of the industries and uses for supercritical fluids include:

• Natural products


• Medicinals


• Biomass extractions


• Fragrances/essential oils


• Pharmaceuticals/foods


• Natural products


• Enzymatic reactions


• Reaction cleanups


• Hydrogenations


• Material Science


• Nanoparticles


• Aerogels


• Coatings


• Metal Injection Molding (MIM)


• Impregnations


• Electronics


• IC Cleaning


• Micro Electro-Mechanical Machines (MEM) cleaning


• Resist developer


• Textiles


• Dyeing


• Impregnations


• Cleaning


• Critical cleaning machine parts


• ICs


• MEMs


• Subcritical/Supercritical Water

For more information, visit the Supercritical Fluid section of Applied Separations' website.

Use Supercritical Fluids to Remove Water from Fragile Items

Supercritical Fluids are perfect for almost all Critical Point Drying applications. Carbon Dioxide in its supercritical state has the permeability to reach into the smallest crevices of any artifact. Unlike liquids, Supercritical CO₂ has no surface tension to destroy the artifact you’re trying to restore. With ‘normal’ evaporation techniques as the water goes from liquid to gas, the surface tension created by this state change pulls against the structure it is attached to causing capillary stress, and in the case of delicate artifacts, often destroying the artifact.

For more information on safely drying fragile artifacts with supercritical fluid, visit the SCF section of the Applied Separations website.

Applied Separations and the "12 Principles of Green Chemistry": Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published their “12 Principles of Green Chemistry” originally published by Paul Anastas and John Warner in Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice (Oxford University Press: New York, 1998) http://www.epa.gov/gcc/pubs/principles.html

Applied Separations’ supercritical fluid extraction systems fall in line with these 12 principles. This week we will be addressing "Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries".

Green Chemistry Principle
Safer Solvents and Auxiliaries

EPA	Applied Separations
The use of auxiliary substances (e.g., solvents, separation agents, etc.) should be made unnecessary wherever possible and innocuous when used.	Applied Separations SCF systems use supercritical CO2 to simulate solvents, eliminating or greatly reducing the need for solvents. Supercritical CO2 is “tunable” and is able to mimic solvents by adjusting the pressure. Change the pressure, and you change the density, which changes the solvating power.

For more information, view the What is Supercritical Fluid? presentation on the Applied Separations website.

http://appliedseparations.com/ASInteractive/Overviews/SCF/What_is_SFE/player.html

Applied Separations and the "12 Principles of Green Chemistry": Design Safer Chemicals and Products

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published their “12 Principles of Green Chemistry” originally published by Paul Anastas and John Warner in Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice (Oxford University Press: New York, 1998) http://www.epa.gov/gcc/pubs/principles.html

Applied Separations’ supercritical fluid extraction systems fall in line with these 12 principles. This week we will be addressing "Designing Safer Chemicals and Products".

Green Chemistry Principle
Design Safer Chemicals and Products

EPA	Applied Separations
Chemical products should be designed to effect their desired function while minimizing their toxicity.	Applied Separations SCF systems minimize toxicity by using supercritical CO2. The use of supercritical CO2 greatly reduces (if not eliminates) the use of toxic materials. Applied Separations supercritical fluid systems use existing carbon dioxide.

For more information, view the What is Supercritical Fluid? presentation on the Applied Separations website.

http://appliedseparations.com/ASInteractive/Overviews/SCF/What_is_SFE/player.html

Applied Separations and the "12 Principles of Green Chemistry" Week 1: Prevention

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published their “12 Principles of Green Chemistry” originally published by Paul Anastas and John Warner in Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice (Oxford University Press: New York, 1998) http://www.epa.gov/gcc/pubs/principles.html

Applied Separations’ supercritical fluid extraction systems fall in line with these 12 principles. In the coming weeks, we will be briefly addressing each of these points.

Green Chemistry Principle
Prevention

EPA	Applied Separations
It is better to prevent waste than to treat or clean up waste after it has been created.	Applied Separations SCF systems prevent waste by using supercritical CO2. The use of supercritical CO2 greatly reduces (if not eliminates) the use of hazardous chemicals. If fewer chemicals are used, there are less hazardous waste disposal concerns.

For more information, view the What is Supercritical Fluid? presentation on the Applied Separations website.

http://appliedseparations.com/ASInteractive/Overviews/SCF/What_is_SFE/player.html

More Than Just an Empty Vial - Supercritical Fluid Collection Methods

Applied Separations offers several ways of collecting a sample from a Supercritical Fluid system, depending upon your needs.

Direct collection into SPE cartridge.

Of course, neat collection (the empty vial) is always an option - directly collect a pure extract into a clean, empty collection vial. It isn't, however, the only option. Applied Separations also offers Solid Phase Extraction, Liquid Trap and Chilled Collection as options with their supercritical fluid systems.

For more information, see the SCF section of the Applied Separations website.

http://appliedseparations.com/ASInteractive/Overviews/SCF/Collection_Methods.asp

Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference

Learn how to Green your process. Learn how you can teach Green Chemistry in your university lab. Visit Applied Separations at the 14th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference at the Capital Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C.

For more information on how Applied Separations can help you green your process, visit the supercritical fluids section of the Applied Separations website.

http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/

Solvent-Free Essential Oils

Rosehip Oil
Rosehip oil is a valuable natural product for the cosmetic industry, yet conventional methods of extraction are often time consuming and rely heavily on the use of chemical solvents. Traditionally, the determination of oil in rosehip seeds is accomplished by soxhlet extraction. Since rosehip seeds contain a relatively low percentage of oil compared to other seeds this extraction method is labor intensive and requires a significant quantity of organic solvent, such as hexane.

SCF is an alternative technique using supercritical carbon dioxide to extract rosehip seed oil quickly and naturally in the laboratory. It eliminates the use, exposure to, and disposal of hazardous solvents, while providing comparable extraction results in less time.

For more information on how to extract oil from rosehip seeds without using solvents, visit the Applied Separations website. Click here to download the Extraction of Rosehip Seed Oil using Supercritical Fluids application.

http://www.appliedseparations.com/Applications/default.asp#SCF

http://www.appliedseparations.com/Applications/downloads/SCF/sfe518RosehipSeedOil.pdf

What is Supercritical Carbon Dioxide?

Carbon dioxide is in its supercritical fluid state when both the temperature and pressure equal or exceed the critical point of 31°C and 73 atm (see diagram). In its supercritical state, CO₂ has both gas-like and liquid-like qualities, and it is this dual characteristic of supercritical fluids that provides the ideal conditions for extracting compounds with a high degree of recovery in a short period of time.

By controlling or regulating pressure and temperature, the density, or solvent strength, of supercritical fluids can be altered to simulate organic solvents ranging from chloroform to methylene chloride to hexane. This dissolving power can be applied to purify, extract, fractionate, infuse, and recrystallize a wide array of materials.

Because CO₂ is non-polar, a polar organic co-solvent (or modifier) can be added to the supercritical fluid for processing polar compounds. By controlling the level of pressure/temperature/modifier, supercritical CO₂ can dissolve a broad range of compounds, both polar and non-polar.

For more information about supercritical CO₂ and how they can improve and green your process, visit the Applied Separations website.

http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/Supercritical_CO2.asp

Solvent-Free Critical Cleaning

Clean the smallest crevices of implants and completely clean devices without leaving residue behind. Using supercritical CO₂ allows you to employ its properties to great benefit:

No surface tension
Carbon Dioxide in its supercritical state has the permeability to reach into the smallest crevices of any implant. Unlike liquids, Supercritical CO₂ has no surface tension that would prevent it from reaching all of the crevices and completely cleaning the device. Supercritical CO₂ goes deeply into the smallest interstices, and solubilizes impurities, such as paraffin and other binders or lubricants used in the production of the implant.


No residue
Supercritical CO₂ does not leave any residue on the implant. CO₂ simply evaporates back into the atmosphere, leaving behind no contamination. Unlike solvents there is no residue and no clean-up.


For more information about how supercritical fluid can improve your process, visit the Applied Separations website.


http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/

Clean Extraction of Essential Oils – Flavors and Fragrances

The use of essential oils has become "essential" for modern living. Essential oils can be primary ingredients in perfumes for cosmetics or soaps and detergents. They form the basis of the spices in our foods. Using supercritical fluids to extract the essential oils is more efficient and leaves no solvent residue!

Find out how to extract essential oils and keep them in their natural state.

http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/SCF_Uses/SCF_for_Essential_Oils-Flavors_and_Fragrances.asp

Environmentally Friendly Textile Dyeing

The conventional dyeing of textiles requires that an excess of dye is dissolved or in some way "taken-up" in an aqueous or solvent solution. The dye mix is then pumped into a vat containing holding the textile. Typically there is agitation or the dye is recirculated several times through the cloth. At the end of the cycle, the dye mix is pumped to the waste treatment facility. Dyes are notoriously difficult to treat. The process is decidedly unfriendly to the environment.

The use of supercritical CO₂ in textile dyeing is an environmentally friendly alternative.

Click to find out how!

http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/SCF_Uses/SCF_for_Textile_Dyeing.asp

Decaffeination of Coffee with Supercritical Fluids

The blog, "Espresso Coffee Maker" has recently featured a post on "The Process of Coffee Decaffeination" which features the use of supercritical fluids as "an excellent agent for separating an element such as caffeine from a coffee bean..."

The Applied Separations website has more information about the supercritical fluid extraction process.

http://www.cofee-makers.com/the-process-of-coffee-decaffeination/
http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/

"Green" Process for the Extraction of Natural Products

The term natural products has become the "catch-all" for any compound that has been produced by a living being, e.g. plant, animal, algae. The extracted compounds are used in, or are themselves, foods, medicinals, pigments, fragrances. The process for many years was to extract from the matrix material by solvents: aqueous and petroleum based. The first large scale use of supercritical fluids in extracting natural products was the decaffeination of coffee in 1979 and since then thousands of compounds have been extracted commercially.

Growing environmental concerns have renewed interest supercritical fluids as the “green” alternative for natural products extractions. Find out how “green” your process.

http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/SCF_Uses/SCF_for_Natural_Products.asp

Environmentally Friendly Debinding in Metal Injection Molding

Metal injection molding, or MIM, is a manufacturing process which combines the versatility of plastic injection molding with the strength and integrity of machined, pressed or otherwise manufactured small, complex, metal parts. The process involves combining fine metal powders with binders which allow the metal to be injected into a mold using standard plastic injection molding machines. The binders must be removed before the part can be used.

Traditional debinding methods are:

• environmentally unfriendly due to high VOC emissions
• may use solvents that are scheduled to be outlawed by the Montréal protocol
• have excessively long debinding times

Using supercritical fluids in the debinding process is faster and economically friendly.

Click here to find out how supercritical fluids can make your process ‘green’ and more efficient.
http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/SCF_Uses/SCF_for_Metal_Injection_Molding.asp

Green Chemistry: Recycle Your Solvents

Everyone is making an effort to be environmentally friendly. We recycle our glass, cans, and newspapers, we take our travel mugs to the coffee shop, and take cloth bags to the grocery store… why not recycle solvents? Wait, recycle solvents?

Instead of using traditional solvents, which are costly and really cannot be recycled, use supercritical carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is one of the most commonly used supercritical fluids. CO₂ is:

• Safe
• Inexpensive
• Readily available
• An ideal substitute for many hazardous and toxic solvents

By controlling or regulating pressure and temperature, the density, or solvent strength, of supercritical fluids can be altered to simulate organic solvents ranging from chloroform to methylene chloride to hexane. This dissolving power can be applied to purify, extract, fractionate, infuse, and recrystallize a wide array of materials.

CO₂ is not produced in the SCF process. Existing CO₂ is used. There is NO addition to the greenhouse effect.

For more information about how you can use green chemistry for your process, visit the Applied Separations website.
http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/

“Green” Alternative to Soxhlet for Fat Determination in Food

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was used to determine total fat and fat-soluble vitamins in Parmigiano cheese and salami. The results were compared with results obtained by traditional methods (Soxhlet). The quantity collected by SFE was statistically equivalent to the Soxhlet extraction.

For more information about the process or the specific application, contact Applied Separations
or visit the SCF section of the Applied Separations website.

Medical Implant Cleaning Using Supercritical Fluids

Today’s modern medicine allows many of us to have longer, healthier and more productive lives than our ancestors ever could have dreamed. One key part of this advancement is the use of medical implants that are made to replace and act as a missing biological structure within the body. Since the implants are placed inside the body, the cleanliness of the implant must be beyond compare. Contaminants can be introduced into the implant both in the processing of the implant and in the post-production handling.

For more information about cleaning medical implants with supercritical fluids, visit the SCF section of Applied Separations' website.

http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/SCF_Uses/SCF_for_Medical_Implant_Cleaning.asp

Using Supercritical Fluids to Dry Aerogels

Aerogels are highly porous materials with large internal surface area and large pore volumes. Their densities are as low as 3 kg/m3 and have porosities as high as 99.9%. This makes them excellent thermal insulators. In fact, aerogels are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the being the best insulators and the lowest-density solids.

In addition to their thermal insulating capabilities, aerogels have structural strength and impressive load-bearing ability, exceptional absorptive properties, and acoustic insulating capabilities. A short list of specific applications:

• Thermal insulation to windows and skylights
• Chemical absorber for cleaning up spills
• Thickening agents in paints and cosmetics
• Commercial manufacture of aerogel "blankets"
• NASA used aerogels to trap space dust particles aboard Stardust spacecraft
• NASA also used aerogel for thermal insulation of the Mars Rover space suits
• US Navy is evaluating aerogel undergarments as passive thermal protection for divers
• Use as a drug delivery system due to its biocompatibility. (Due to its high surface area and porous structure, drugs can be adsorbed from supercritical CO₂)

For more information, visit the SCF for Aerogels page.
http://appliedseparations.com/Supercritical/SCF_Uses/SCF_for_Aerogels.asp

New Papers Posted to ASinteractive Section of the Website

Applied Separations recently exhibited their Solid Phase Extraction and Supercritical Fluid product lines at Pittcon in Orlando. In addition, Applied Separations presented several papers. Reprints of the papers are posted to the ASinteractive section of the Applied Separations website.

• Metal Artifact Preservation Using the Subcritical Water Extraction Technique
http://appliedseparations.com/ASInteractive/Posters/pittcon10/asi_hunley.pdf
• A New Instrument to Teach “Green Chemistry” Analytical Techniques in Food Science Using the Example of the Determination of Total Fat in Snack Foods
http://appliedseparations.com/ASInteractive/Posters/pittcon10/asi_hunley.pdf
• Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Irganox 1076 and Irgafos 168 from Polyethylene
http://appliedseparations.com/ASInteractive/Posters/pittcon10/asi_scf_irgafos_poly.pdf
• Supercritical Fluid Deposition of Metals on Polymer and Composite Materials
http://appliedseparations.com/ASInteractive/Posters/pittcon10/asi_scf_metal_poly.pdf

Producing Nanoparticles Using Supercritical Fluids

Traditional means
Traditional means of making specifically sized material involves several techniques. These include:
• Milling
• Grinding or
• Crushing

But each of these has problems such as thermal and chemical degradation. Crystallization by adjusting supersaturation, using anti-solvents, or employing reactions and precipitations also have shortcomings:
• Product contamination
• High energy requirements
• Waste solvents
• Low yields
• Non-uniform particles

Using Supercritical Fluids
The use of Supercritical Fluids to make particles eliminates these shortcomings. There are number of SCF techniques to produce particles of controlled size and morphology for organic molecules in the sub micron range:
• RESS-Rapid Expansion of a Supercritical Solution
• GAS- Gas Anti-Solvent
• PCA- Precipitation by Compressed Fluid Anti-Solvent
• SEDS -Solution Enhanced Dispersion of Supercritical Fluids

RESS-Rapid Expansion of a Supercritical Solution
With RESS, material is dissolved in the SCF and then depressurized though a nozzle.

GAS- Gas Anti-Solvent
Here the compound is dissolved in an organic solvent, a supercritical fluid is introduced, expanding the volume and lowering the solvents solvent strength causing the compound to precipitate under controlled conditions of particle formation.

PCA- Precipitation by Compressed Fluid Anti-Solvent
With PCA, the compound dissolved in an organic solvent is sprayed into a SCF, casuing supersaturation and solute precipitation.

SEDS -Solution Enhanced Dispersion of Supercritical Fluids
Using SEDS, the compound is dissolved in an aqueous solution and the simultaneously sprayed through a coaxial nozzle with an organic solvent into the supercritical fluid. The water is dissolved into the solvent and SCF causing supersaturation and precipitation.

Nanoparticles of inorganic compounds can also be produced using supercritical fluids and sub-critical fluids. Thermal decomposition and hydrothermal syntheses are but two ways to accomplish this.

Applied Separations can provide you with the means to make both organic and inorganic particles.

Using SCF to Create Biofuel

Recently, yourgreenlife.org posted an article about Biofuels, which are currently one of the most discussed renewable fuel sources. One of the alternative fuel sources being researched is Biodiesel algae.


Supercritical fluids are being used as one of the methods of removing the oil from the algae. SCF removes 100% of the oil from the algae.


To read the full article:


http://www.yourgreenlife.org/2010/02/renewable-fuel-sources-biodiesel-algae/

Supercritical Fluid Used in the Creation of Product to Reduce Risk of Heart Ailments, Cancer and Alzheimers

UPM Creates Product That Reduces Risk Of Heart Ailments, Cancer And Alzheimer's Disease

Supercritical fluids were used by Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) in their creation of Thymoquinone Rich Fraction (TQRF), a herbal product which reduces the risk of heart ailments, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and slows the aging process. Click the link below to read the full article:

http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=471960

Supercritical fluids are very beneficial in these types of processes because they leave no solvent residue, resulting in a contaminant -free extract.

Professor receives award from the U.S. Department of Energy - CNAS NewsWatch - Missouri State University

Saw this announcement today. Exciting things happening in the field of supercritical fluids!

Professor receives award from the U.S. Department of Energy - CNAS NewsWatch - Missouri State University

Applied Separations Launches Improved Website

Applied Separations has launched a new, improved version of their extensive
website, http://www.appliedseparations.com

The Applied Separations website
is now even more user friendly, full of
well-organized information about
their Supercritical Fluid
and Solid Phase product lines.





-New Easy to Navigate Section-

Included in the new site is an easy to navigate section on the Uses for
Supercritical Fluids, such as Aerogel Drying, Medical Implant
Cleaning, Metal Injection Molding, Natural Products Extractions,
Critical Cleaning, Textile Dying... the list goes on!


As always, the Applied Separations website is a great resource. Visit the site today to see the improvements!