A
supercritical fluid (SCF) is any substance above its critical temperature and
pressure; the fluid has the properties of both gas and liquid while not
exhibiting a distinct liquid or gaseous phase. Thus, an SCF is,
• Dense like a liquid
to dissolve materials
• Has low viscosity,
high diffusivity, no surface tension like a gas
Carbon dioxide is the
most commonly used supercritical fluid and becomes supercritical at 31oC
and 74 BAR. There are many applications for scCO2, including decaffeination of coffee,
extraction of natural products, and waterless textile dyeing.
Carbon dioxide is environmentally
friendly, non-toxic and in our case most of the CO2 is internally
recycled with very little vented to the atmosphere. scCO2 based operations represent a very
“green” technology.
Applied Separations is meeting the growing, world-wide commitment to a cleaner, greener environment. Environmentally friendly Supercritical Fluid (SCF) technology works with today's innovative, easy-to-use systems from Applied Separations. 
Production of yarns and converting
these into fabrics by weaving or knitting processes requires use of various
oils, waxes, lubricants and other additives to facilitate in the fabrication
steps. The processing aids are removed from the textile to obtain high
quality dyeing or printing on the textile. Processing aids are used for all
textile materials – natural and man-made, though they may differ chemically
depending on the material.
Carbon dioxide is the
most commonly used supercritical fluid and becomes supercritical at 31oC
and 74 BAR. There are many applications for scCO2, including decaffeination of coffee,
extraction of natural products, and waterless textile dyeing.
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