COUNTERCURRENT EXTRACTION OF DIOXINS FROM COD-LIVER OIL BY SUPERCRITICAL CARBON-DIOXIDE

Dioxins and dibenzofurans are chlorinated toxic compounds. They are fo rmed in many different processes involving chlorine. They are found ev erywhere in nature. As they are nonpolar they accumulate in fat contai ning environments and are, for example, found in breast milk, fatty fi sh, and cod liver oil. For those cases where it is possible to get rid of the dioxins, it is important to try this. Counter-current extracti on of dioxins from cod liver oil has been studied using supercritical carbon dioxide. The results show that 80% of the dioxins can be extrac ted together with the 17% of the oil. The best conditions so far, in a 1 m/l4-mm i.d. column filled with glass rings, are 150 bar and 40 deg rees C and an oil-to-carbon dioxide ratio of 1:100.