SFE

Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) Systems

SFC 4000 Series

Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) uses a supercritical fluid as the extraction solvent. Selective extraction can be made by exploiting the properties of differential solubility of target analytes in a wide variety of matrices.

Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) Systems

Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) employs a supercritical fluid, most commonly CO2, as the mobile phase solvent for the extraction. The intrinsic low viscosity and high diffusivity of supercritical CO2 have rendered SFE a faster extraction and higher efficiency technique when compared to traditional liquid extraction. This provides faster flow rates and thus faster extraction times without the requirement for a higher pressure system. The addition of a co-solvent to the CO2 flow can help tune the strength further. The extraction oven can offer temperatures up to 100°C. Lastly, after the extraction vessel is the back pressure regulator, which provides the back pressure requirement to keep the CO2 supercritical, and is an integral part of the performance of the extraction.

Advantages

  1. Selectivity  – CO2 polarity varies greatly depending on the pressure it is exposed to. This makes CO2 a tunable solvent which allows the user to find the precise conditions for extraction of the compounds of interest while leaving unwanted compounds behind. This inherent trait of CO2 greatly reduces the need for post-extraction cleanup that would be necessary with most solvent extractions.
  2. No residual solvents  – given the gaseous state of CO2 at atmospheric conditions, the resulting extract does not require the long rotovap time needed to dry solvent-extracted analytes.
  3. Faster – given the high diffusivity and low viscosity of CO2 in its supercritical state the extractions typically take a fraction of the time compared to solvent extractions.
  4. Higher Yield  – due to increased temperature and pressure, supercritical CO2 can penetrate many matrices that solvents cannot thereby allowing for greater surface area contact which in turn increases yield.
  5. Low Operating Cost  – cost Per Extraction is significantly lower as the cost of CO2 is much lower than the equivalent amount of solvent.
  6. Environmentally Friendly

When compared to Soxhlet extractions, supercritical fluid extractions have proven to be capable of providing extractions up to 25 times faster with equivalent recovery while using up to 30 times less solvent.

Analytical SFE

  • The analytical CO2 pump offers built-in peltier cooling to maintain a stable CO2 flow yielding excellent extraction time reproducibility. Automatic, built-in shut-off valves close the CO2 inlet and outlet and isolate the pumps for quick and simple priming when not pumping.
  • The system can be configured for CO2 only or 1-10 co-solvents, 1-10 extraction vessels for the vessel volumes listed above, and 1, 6, 12, or 54 fractions.
SystemExtraction VesselCO2 Flow Rate
Analytical1 mL, 5 mL, 10 mL0.2 - 10 mL

Hybrid SFE

  • The hybrid CO2 pump offers a flow range from 0.5 to 20 mL/min covering both analytical 10 mL vessels up to semi-prep 100 mL vessels. Automatic, built-in shut-off valves close the CO2 inlet and outlet and isolate the pumps for quick and simple priming when not pumping.
  • The system can be configured for CO2 only or 1-10 co-solvents, 1-10 extraction vessels for the vessel volumes listed above, and 1, 6, 12, or 54 fractions.
SystemExtraction VesselCO2 Flow Rate
Hybrid10 mL, 50 mL, 100 mL0.5 - 20 mL

Semi-Prep SFE

  • The semi-prep CO2 pump offers a flow range from 3 to 50 mL/min covering 50 mL vessels up to 200 mL vessels. Automatic, built-in shut-off valves close the CO2 inlet and outlet and isolate the pumps for quick and simple priming when not pumping.
  • The system can be configured for CO2 only or 1-10 co-solvents, 1-10 extraction vessels for the vessel volumes listed above, and 1, 6, 12, or 54 fractions.
SystemExtraction VesselCO2 Flow Rate
Semi-Preparative50 mL, 100 mL, 200 mL3.0 - 50 mL

Prep SFE

  • The Prep CO2 pump offers a flow range from 5 to 150 mL/min covering 500 mL vessels up to 2 L vessels. Automatic, built-in shut-off valves close the CO2 inlet and outlet and isolate the pumps for quick and simple priming when not pumping.
  • The system can be configured for CO2 only or 1-10 co-solvents, 1-10 extraction vessels for the vessel volumes listed above, and 1, 6, 12, or 54 fractions.
SystemExtraction VesselCO2 Flow Rate
Preparative500 mL, 1 L, 2 L5 - 150 mL