Phase Equilibrium Feasibility Studies of Free Fatty Acids Extraction from Palm Oil Using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Abstract

This work investigates the modeling of saturated fatty acids from palm oil using co-solvent modified supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO₂). The objective of this work is the assessment of the feasibility studies of phase equilibrium mutual solubility process utilizing supercritical carbon dioxide. The knowledge of the phase equilibrium is one of the most important factors to study the design of extraction processes controlled by the equilibrium. The applied pressure was ranging from 60 to 180 bars and the extraction temperatures were 313.15 and 353.15 K. A thermodynamic model based on the Universal Functional Activity Coefficient (UNIFAC) used to predict the activity coefficients' expression for the system carbon dioxide / fatty acid. The parameters such as adsorption, diffusion, mass transfer coefficient, solubility, and desorption were determined using mass transfer modeling.

Keywords: Supercritical Carbon Dioxide; Free Fatty Acids; UNIFAC; Activity Coefficient; Mass Transfer Modeling.