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US 7,790,036 B2Granted
Rapid expanded solvent extraction
AssigneeYulex Corporation
InventorsKatrina Cornish, Rodger T. Marentis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides for a method of rapid expanded solvent extraction of biopolymers, such as rubber, from plant materials, such as guayule, using an expanded hexane solvent. As is illustrated herein, the use of the expanded hexane solvent results in a markedly more efficient and rapid extraction process over other supercritical carbon dioxide extraction systems, including those systems using a hexane cosolvent.
Claims10
A method of extracting a biopolymer from a plant material, comprising:
- placing plant material in an extraction vessel;
- pumping liquid hexane into the extraction vessel;
- introducing carbon dioxide into the extraction vessel, forming an expanded hexane solvent;
- transitioning the expanded hexane solvent to a two phase supercritical/liquid system wherein supercritical carbon dioxide is saturated with the expanded hexane solvent;
- transitioning the saturated supercritical carbon dioxide into a single phase supercritical carbon dioxide and hexane cosolvent;
- performing a supercritical carbon dioxide wash;
- and
- extracting the biopolymer from the plant material using supercritical carbon dioxide.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.