Economic analysis of the supercritical fluid extraction of lupane-triterpenoids from Acacia dealbata Link bark

Abstract

The supercritical fluid extraction of Acacia dealbata Link. bark was performed with carbon dioxide at different pressures (10–30 MPa), temperatures (40–80 °C), and cosolvents contents (0–10 wt% of ethyl acetate or ethanol) to analyse their effect on various performance indicators whose best values were: total extraction yield of 1.57 wt%; lupenyl acetate (LA) and lupenone (Lu) extraction yields of 777.5 mg kgbark-1 and 679.8 mg kgbark-1; and LA and Lu extract concentrations of 15.8 wt% and 12.8 wt%. Two extraction curves were measured, and an economic analysis was accomplished. The impact of pressure, temperature, cosolvent content, and extraction time on the cost of manufacturing (COM) and productivity were evaluated, reaching a minimum of 52.3 € kgextract-1. A sensitivity analysis showed that the electricity price is the most impactful variable on the COM. Overall, the increase of pressure, temperature and cosolvents content favoured the productivity, decreasing the production cost.