Extraction of moringa essential oil (Moringa Oleifera) with conventional solvents and supercritical fluid / Extração do óleo essencial de moringa (Moringa Oleifera) usando solventes convencionais e fluído supercrítico

Abstract

Essential oils (EO) are substances extracted from different parts of plants and have specific characteristics that guarantee their application in different processes. EO extraction processes involve different methods. Among the methods mentioned in the literature, those related to the minimization of effluent production rates are commonly used. In this context, studies were conducted on the extraction of essential oil from the seed of Moringa Oleífera, using a mixture of carbon dioxide (supercritical fluid) and ethanol or acetone (conventional fluids) as a solvent, to evaluate the influence of the flow rates of fluid mixture flow. Several experiments have demonstrated that the process performance is strongly dependent on the flow velocity of the fluid mixture and the type of co-solvent used. In this case, the decrease in CO2 flow velocity increases the residence and contact time between the fluid and solid particles. The ethanol is more effective than acetone, mainly due to its intrinsic physical properties. The relationship described above results in the highest diffusion rate of the solute contained in the solid pores to the fluid mixture. The results obtained from these studies are similar to those in the literature and can support scale-up models of the process that aim to enhance the development and proposition of essential oils to meet the country's needs, supported by the use of biomass produced in Angola.