Performance comparison of different supercritical fluid extraction equipments for the production of vitamin E in polycaprolactone nanocapsules by supercritical fluid extraction of emulsionsc

Abstract

The encapsulation of vitamin E in polycaprolactone was done using four SFEE installations: A) a bubble column, B) a bubble column with gas redistributor, C) a spray column and D) a packed column. Performance of each installation was compared in terms of organic solvent removal, CO2 consumption and nanocapsule characteristics (encapsulation efficiency, particle size distribution and morphology). Bubble columns provided particles with good characteristics but required a high CO2 consumption and the production capacity were very low. The gas redistributor allowed decreasing the CO2 expenditure, but the operation was still discontinuous. Despite the high CO2 consumption in the spray column, the target acetone removal could not be achieved and particle morphology was negatively affected. The countercurrent operation in a packed column provided high production capacity, maintained good particle quality, and required a low amount of CO2 to remove the acetone.