Low pressure supercritical CO2 extraction of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis demonstrated on a microfluidic chip

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 250; pp. 481 - 485
• Main Authors: Cheng, Xiang, Qi, ZhenBang, Burdyny, Thomas, Kong, Tian, Sinton, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2018
• Subjects: Astaxanthin; Co-solvent; Microalgae; Microfluidics; Supercritical CO2 extraction; Microalgae; Supercritical CO2 extraction; Co-solvent; Astaxanthin; Microfluidics
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2017.11.070

•Supercritical CO2 extraction of astaxanthin was performed on a microfluidic reactor.•Astaxanthin extraction using ScCO2 achieved 92% recovery at 55 °C and 8 MPa over 15 h.•The effect of temperature on extraction rate was investigated from 40 °C to 70 °C.•With the addition of co-solvents, full recovery was achieved within a few minutes. This study demonstrates the efficacy of low pressure supercritical CO2 extraction of astaxanthin from disrupted Haematococcus pluvialis. A microfluidic reactor was employed that enabled excellent control and allowed direct monitoring of the whole process at the single cell level, in real time. Astaxanthin extraction using ScCO2 achieved 92% recovery at 55 °C and 8 MPa applied over 15 h. With the addition of co-solvents, ethanol and olive oil, the extraction rates in both experiments were significantly improved reaching full recovery within a few minutes. Notably, for the ethanol case, the timescales of extraction process are reduced 1800-fold from 15 h to 30 s at 55 °C and 8 MPa, representing the fastest complete astaxanthin extraction at such low pressures.