Chemical-free Fragrance Extraction at Low Temperatures

Whether you’re extracting fragrances for perfumes or foods, you want the highest quality extract with the least chemical residue. Using supercritical fluid to extract your fragrances is the way to accomplish this with no hazardous chemicals.

© Raymond Kasprzak
Dreamstime Stock Photos

 Fragrance compounds are volatile molecules that have an odor or aroma. They are low molecular weight compounds and are found in food, wine, spices, flowers and many natural products. These volatile essential oils are composed of esters, terpenes, cyclic terpenes, aromatics, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones and lactones. All of these compounds are readily soluble in supercritical CO₂ at low temperatures and low pressures.

Visit the Applied Separations website for more information about Supercritical Fragrance Extraction and Supercritical Fluids.

Environmentally Friendly Essential Oil Extractions

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. Essential oils are the base for aromatherapy.

What if there was a way to extract essential oils quickly and efficiently, without compromising the quality of the extract? There is. Supercritical carbon dioxide.

With supercritical fluids:

• No Solvent residue. No health hazard. Maintains a "natural" state. 
• Mild Extraction Conditions – 31°C temperature 
• Fractionation - easy using only CO₂ - CO₂ is a "tunable solvent" – easily change your temperature/pressure to suit your material 

Supercritical CO₂ can also be used in conjunction with more traditional methods such as soaking perfume feedstocks in an organic solvent for a period of time. The organic solvents containing the extracted the perfumes (essential oils) and accompanying waxes is then decanted and evaporated, leaving a concrete. The essential oils can easily be separated from the wax with supercritical CO₂. Because of the low temperature, the process gives high recoveries.

Click here to see an example of a supercritical system for the extraction of essential oils.

Visit Applied Separations for more information.

Replace Hexane in Your Essential Oil Extractions

Hexane is a commonly used solvent in natural products and essential oil extractions. But Hexane has been categorized as a hazardous air pollutant by the US EPA, and is included on their list of toxic chemicals. Despite best efforts, facilities using hexane may leak up to 6,000 pounds of hexane a day into the atmosphere. In addition, extracts will contain undesirable hexane residue.

The solution: Supercritical Fluid extractions.

• No hazardous waste
• No chemical residue
• No health hazard
• Environmentally friendly

Click here for information about supercritical fluids.

Click here for information about extracting essential oils with supercritical fluids.

Essential Oil Extracts with No Solvent Residue or Health Hazard

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide extracts essential oils more efficiently than petroleum based solvents. More importantly, upon returning to an ambient state, the CO₂ becomes a gas, leaving no residue. Flavors and fragrances are left in their unadulterated states. Essential oils extracted with supercritical fluids leave no solvent taste or smell.

Sometimes supercritical CO₂ is used in conjunction with more traditional methods such as soaking perfume feedstocks in an organic solvent for a period of time. The organic solvents containing the extracted the perfumes (essential oils) and accompanying waxes are then decanted and evaporated, leaving a concrete. The essential oils can easily be separated from the wax with supercritical CO₂. Because of the low temperature, the process gives high recoveries.

View the video and visit the Applied Separations website for more information.