Applications of nonconventional green extraction technologies in process industries: Challenges, limitations and perspectives

What if we could pull valuable compounds from raw materials using minimal energy and chemicals? A comprehensive new review examines five innovative green extraction technologies designed to revolutionize industrial product recovery.

Modern industries face a pressing challenge: how to extract functional value-added compounds and byproducts from plant matrices while respecting the planet. This study dives into five nonconventional, eco-friendly extraction powerhouses: supercritical fluid extraction (SCFE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound extraction (UAE), and pulsed electric fields extraction (PEFE).

Among these contenders, supercritical CO2 extraction emerges as the most reliable method for industrial processing, despite facing occasional hurdles with extraction yield and the solubility of certain bioactive compounds.

Fortunately, science offers a clever workaround. By introducing ionic liquids as trainers or cosolvents to supercritical CO2, researchers can overcome these solubility barriers. These clever chemical additions outshine traditional organic solvents thanks to their unique hydrophobicity, polarity, selectivity, and a much safer environmental profile.

Key Points

• Review of five green nonconventional extraction technologies for industries
• Supercritical CO2 proves most reliable despite yield and solubility challenges
• Ionic liquids used as safe cosolvents to enhance extraction solubility