Supercritical Fluids

Abstract

This article serves to review supercritical fluid technology in the field of bioengineering and related areas. Supercritical fluid technology is highly versatile and following a theoretical introduction to supercritical fluids a wide range of applications are described. These include extraction, chromatography, particle engineering procedures, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, enzymatic reactions, sterilization, and drying. For each application, the basic principles of the technique are provided and advantages over traditional techniques are cited. This article is designed to appeal to newcomers to the field of supercritical fluids and more experienced scientists who may have specialized in a particular application of supercritical fluids, for example, extraction, without necessarily being aware of other important areas involving supercritical fluid technology. It also serves to describe where possible how different types of supercritical fluid technologies can be integrated to reduce downstream processing costs. Due to progressively more stringent organic solvent legislation, the use of supercritical fluids especially those derived from carbon dioxide and water is rapidly developing. It therefore seems highly probable that more scientists will need to become better acquainted with the potential of supercritical fluids in the future.