Process for the isolation of rhamnolipids
AssigneeEvonik Degussa GmbH
InventorsMartin Schilling, Marius Ruetering, Verena Dahl, Fabien Cabirol
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for isolating rhamnolipids is provided. The process includes providing an aqueous medium containing at least one rhamnolipid and having a pH of less than 6. Next, the aqueous medium is brought into contact with at least one organic solvent to provide a multiphase system and then the aqueous phase is separated off. The pH is then increased to a value of 6 or more to provide a multiphase organic system. Next, a rhamnolipid-enriched organic phase is separated off. An optional step of further purifying the rhamnolipid may be performed.
Claims9
A process for the isolation of rhamnolipids, said process comprising:
- A) providing an aqueous medium containing at least one rhamnolipid and having a pH of less than 6, wherein the aqueous medium comprises between 10 g/l and 300 g/l of the at least one rhamnolipid,
- B) i) bringing the aqueous medium into contact with at least one organic solvent to provide a multiphase system X, wherein the at least one organic solvent dissolved in the aqueous medium is in an amount from 0.1 to 30% by weight of the multiphase system X, ii) separating off the aqueous phase from multiphase system X, to provide an organic phase Y,
- C) increasing the pH of the organic phase Y, to a value of 6 or more to provide a multiphase system Z comprising at least two organic phases, and
- D) separating off a rhamnolipid-enriched organic phase from the multiphase system Z.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.