Extraction of oil from Elaeis spp. using subcritical propane and cosolvent: Experimental and modeling

Abstract

Subcritical fluid extraction using propane and cosolvent was performed to recover palm oil from mesocarp of different palm fruit species, and compared to Bligh and Dyer method. Response surface methodology was used to investigate the effect of pressure, temperature, and proportion of ethanol, as cosolvent, on the extraction yield. A Box–Behnken design was applied to develop the model and to predict the optimum condition. The highest experimental yield, on a dry basis (db), obtained by subcritical extraction was 47.43% for caiaué, 73.97% for African palm and 66.26% for interspecific hybrid, in the condition of 80bar, 60°C and 6% ethanol. These yields were close to those recovered by the Bligh and Dyer method. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the subcritical extraction allowed to extract the oil present on the surface of the particles and inside them. The kinetic behavior was represented satisfactorily by the Sovová mathematical model.