Supercritical Fluid Extraction: Principles and Practice

The authors cover virtually every facet of supercritical fluid (SCF) technology: the history of SCF extraction, its underlying thermodynamic principles, process principles, industrial applications, and analysis of SCF research and development efforts. A review of 75 major SCF extraction patents provides an important source of technical and business information. Computer programs that can be used to calculate critical mixture and phase border curves for binary and ternary liquid-SCF and solid-SCF mixtures are included in the appendix. The book discusses the following contents: Introduction . Historical perspective . Phase diagrams for SCF-solute mixtures at high pressures . Experimental techniques for high pressure studies - Thermodynamic modeling of SCF-solute phase behaviour . Process operations . Early industrial applications - SCF process studies: 1976-81 . Polymer and monomer processing with SCF . SCF processing of pharmaceuticals, natural products and chemicals . Reactions in SCF . Special applications of SCF solvents . References and Index.