Applications of supercritical fluid technology to pollution prevention and waste minimization
- Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH (United States)
One approach to the prevention of pollution and the reduction of worker exposure from conventional solvents is the use of less hazardous substitutes. One of the more novel substitutes is carbon dioxide. Although carbon dioxide is a gas at ordinary conditions, it can be liquified by application of pressure. In its supercritical state, it exhibits good solvent properties. Separation of the carbon dioxide from the extracted materials can be accomplished by pressure reduction, adsorption onto activated carbon, or with a membrane process, e.g., decaffeination of coffee. This paper presents a brief overview of the university and federal laboratory collaborative efforts focusing on processes using supercritical carbon dioxide as a substitute for hazardous solvents. The SCCO2 technology applications under this program include extraction of natural pharmaceutical materials, phase-transfer catalysis, solvent replacement in chemical synthesis, temperature-solubility relationships, and separation of organic materials from soils and slurries. A paper on the extraction of heavy metals with SCCO2 was presented by Ataai et.al. at the 87th National Meeting, A&WMA. This work is also supported by the EPA.
- OSTI ID:
- 111468
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9504110--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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