Process for reducing the concentration of undesired compounds in a composition
AssigneeIneos Fluor Holdings Limited
InventorsPaul Alan Dowdle, Stuart Corr
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for treating a composition comprising one or more undesired compounds and one or more desired compounds so as to reduce the concentration of the one or more undesired compounds is described. The process comprises the steps of (1) contacting the composition with a solid adsorbent, (2) eluting the solid adsorbent on which the composition is retained with an extraction solvent comprising a (hydro)fluorocarbon, and (3) collecting a solvent eluate containing a composition having a reduced concentration of the undesired compounds from the solid adsorbent. The process is particularly suited to reducing the terpene content of an essential oil.
Claims24
A process for treating a composition comprising one or more undesired compounds and one or more desired compounds so as to reduce the concentration of one or more of the undesired compounds, which process comprises the steps of (1) contacting the composition with a solid adsorbent, (2) eluting the solid adsorbent on which the composition is retained with an extraction solvent comprising a (hydro)fluorocarbon, and (3) collecting a solvent eluate containing a composition having a reduced concentration of the undesired compounds from the solid adsorbent.
A process for reducing the terpene content of a composition containing one or more terpenes and one or more desired compounds as constituent parts, which process comprises the steps of (1) contacting the composition with a polar, solid adsorbent, (2) eluting the polar, solid adsorbent on which the composition is retained with an extraction solvent comprising a (hydro)fluorocarbon, and (3) collecting a solvent eluate containing a composition of reduced terpene content from the polar, solid adsorbent.
A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the adsorbent is selected from the group consisting of activated alumina, aluminium hydroxide, silica gel, silicic acid and cellulose.
A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the extraction solvent comprises at least one (hydro)fluorocarbon selected from the hydrofluoromethanes, the hydrofluoroethanes and the hydrofluoropropanes.
A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the extraction solvent comprises a co-solvent in addition to the (hydro)fluorocarbon.
A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio of the composition to be treated to the adsorbent is in the range of from 20:1 to 1:2.
A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is conducted at a temperature in the range of from −10 to 80° C.
A process as claimed in any one of the preceding claims which is conducted at a pressure in the range of from 0.1 to 200 bar.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.