Supercritical CO2 extraction of hiprose seed oil: experiments and mathematical modelling

Hiprose seed oil has been extracted by supercritical CO2 operating at press ures of 1500, 3000, 6000 and 10 000 psi, temperatures of 40, 50 and 70 degr ees C, CO2 flow rates of 1, 2, 4 and 6 g/min using mean particle sizes of 0 .42, 0.79 and 1.03 mm. The obtained oil! yield data has been used to valida te a mathematical model of the extraction process, based in part on the inf ormation obtained from the microscopic structure of the hiprose seed partic les. The differential mass balances forming the model have been numerically integrated. The best fit between model curves and data has been obtained w hen a linearly variable internal mass transfer coefficient was adopted: wit h an initial value of 1.9 x 10(-5) m/s. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.