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Scale-out production in core-annular liquid–liquid microextractor

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Abstract

In the miniaturization process, enhanced mass and heat transport enable the production of fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals; therefore, this process has become an attractive research field. The scale-out core-annular liquid–liquid microextractor can further enhance the mass and heat transfer because of its increased total liquids contact area. In the current study, one such microextractor was employed, and four stretchable helix wires were placed in parallel and square arrangements for the aqueous stream to maintain the aqueous and solvent solution volume ratio at 1:10; these wires were surrounded by an organic solvent to ensure a stable aqueous–organic contact interface. A scale-out core-annular liquid–liquid microextractor was applied in 10 vol% acetone–toluene extract as a robust screening tool for process development; it demonstrated > 90 % extraction efficiency within 10 min and > 3 ml/hr production rate. These scale-out strategies revealed that the effective surface area–volume ratio applied in this study was more than 6 m− 1 and substantially mitigated insufficient production.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank members of Ya-Yu Chiang’s group for the useful discussions. The authors also thank Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology for supporting this study. Grant numbers: 105-2218-E-005-013-MY2 and 108-2221-E-005-066-MY2.

Funding

This study was financially supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan [105-2218-E-005-013-MY2] and [108-2221-E-005-066-MY2].

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Author notes

  1. Cheng-Yan Lin and Yung-Ying Chen contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Cheng-Yan Lin, Yung-Ying Chen, Po-Ying Chen, Mei-Chun Chen, Tyng-Fwu Su & Ya-Yu Chiang

  2. i-Center for Advanced Science and Technology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Ya-Yu Chiang

Authors
  1. Cheng-Yan Lin
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  2. Yung-Ying Chen
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Contributions

Cheng-Yan Lin: Investigation; Writing (original draft preparation); Methodology.

Yung-Ying Chen: Investigation; Writing (original draft preparation).

Po-Ying Chen: Investigation.

Mei-Chun Chen: Investigation.

Tyng-Fwu Su: Investigation.

Ya-Yu Chiang: Conceptualization; Methodology; Validation and Editing; Supervision, Project Administration, Funding Acquisition.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ya-Yu Chiang.

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Highlights

• Two scale-out microextractors were developed for continuous process.

• An input flow rate range of 0.5–1700 µL/min with a stable interface was achieved through CALLMEs.

• The extraction efficiency in CALLMEs could reach over 95% and the scalability for continuous mass production using CALLMEs configuration is demonstrated.

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Lin, CY., Chen, YY., Chen, PY. et al. Scale-out production in core-annular liquid–liquid microextractor. J Flow Chem 11, 569–577 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41981-021-00153-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41981-021-00153-6

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