R&D

Extraction from herbaceous matrices

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) of essential oils, resin oils, dyes, active principles from vegetable matrices (roots, leaves, rhizomas, flowers); fields of interest: food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical industry
Extraction of biologically active molecules from solid natural stuff, as medicinal plants; particular interest is addressed to chlorinated and organic solvents substitution
Extraction and fractionation of active molecules from diluted media, as fermentation broth, or from natural and synthetic liquid sources
Production of enriched fractions
Dewaxing of natural products

Fractionation of liquid feeds

Husk oil, refined oil, and rape oil treatment for acidity and sterolic content reduction, pigments (charotenoids, chlorofill) and waxes removal
Recovery of tocopherols from deodorizer condensates oils

Purification of synthetic-end products

Organic solvent removal from pharmaceuticals (dichloromethane, isobuthyl alcohol)
Substitution of chlorinated solvents in cosmetics industry

Impregnation

Inpregnation of synthetic or natural polymer matrices for preparing highly disperded catalysts, controlled drug delivery systems or to improve the matrix properties tablet coating, to avoid the use of organic solvents

Powder technology

Crystallization and atomization through the rapid expansion of a supercritical solution (RESS, rapid expansion of supercritical solution): application to antibiothic (salicylic acid), antimicotics (griseofulvin), hormones (progesteron, testosteron)
Precipitation induced by SC antisolvent effect (SAS, supercritical antisolvent precipitation) starting from homogeneous solutions: batch and continuous process; application to biopolymers and drugs (ialuronic acid, pentamidine, salbuthanol)
Encapsulation of pharmaceuticals with biocompatible polymers (ethylcellulose, acrylic polymers) via SAS technique starting from heterogeneous solutions: batch process

Reactions

Reaction and fractionation combination with possibility of organic solvent substitution, easy downward processing permitting reactants recycle and high reaction rates in relation with high diffusivity in the supercritical (SC) solvent