Method, system and/or apparatus for use of liquid or fluid carbon dioxide in extraction and/or solubilising source material and binding and/or elution with a molecularly imprinted polymer

A system for obtaining at least one target molecule from a source material, the system comprising:

• a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), and
• a device for providing a flow of fluid carbon dioxide,
• wherein the system is adapted to bring a source material into contact with a molecularly imprinted polymer to associate at least one target molecule present in the source material with the molecularly imprinted polymer, and
• wherein the system is adapted to elute the target molecule that is associated with the molecularly imprinted polymer using the flow of fluid carbon dioxide as an elution solvent, and wherein the fluid carbon dioxide is at a pressure of above about 7 MPa and temperature of above about 31° C., or
• wherein the system is adapted to elute the target molecule that is associated with the molecularly imprinted polymer using the flow of fluid carbon dioxide as an elution solvent, and wherein the fluid carbon dioxide is at a pressure of about 0.5 to 41 MPa and a temperature of about −50 to 30° C., and
• wherein the source material is in a binding solvent when it is brought into contact with the MIP,
• wherein the binding solvent comprises fluid carbon dioxide at a density that is lower than the density of the fluid carbon dioxide used as the elution solvent,
• wherein the source material is solubilised in at least one solvent prior to being brought into contact with the MIP, and
• wherein the at least one solvent comprises fluid carbon dioxide with a higher density than the fluid carbon dioxide used as the binding solvent.

A method of obtaining at least one target molecule from a source material, the method comprising:

• a) bringing a source material into contact with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) to associate at least one target molecule present in the source material with the MIP, and
• b) eluting the at least one target molecule off the MIP using fluid carbon dioxide as an elution solvent,
• wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is at a pressure of above about 7 MPa and a temperature of above about 31° C., or
• wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is at a pressure of about 0.5 to 41 MPa and a temperature of about −50 to 30° C., and
• wherein the source material is in a binding solvent when it is brought into contact with the MIP and the binding solvent does not comprise fluid carbon dioxide.