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