Abstract

This study aims to examine a variety of interrelated parameters including pressure, temperature and velocity of fluid using Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) of chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons. The optimum parameters for the supercritical fluid extraction of chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons were determined and compared with the ‘soxhlet’ extraction. The results revealed that the optimal conditions for extraction are a pressure of 250 bars and a temperature of 40°C and a fluid flow of 2.0 ml/min. Moreover, in an experiment on the effect of solvent, the high recovery of chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons for 2 to 5-rings were applied to n-hexane and dichloromethane in the ratio 1:1 and dichloromethane alone. Additionally, SFE was found to have higher recovery percentage than Soxhlet for chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbon with 2 rings. The SFE with chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons with 1 to 5 rings was faster than soxhlet extraction. Furthermore, the recovery percentage of the 8270 phenols mix and the TCL polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons mix is 68 ~ 89% and 71 ~ 113%, respectively. These results demonstrate that the SFE is a better method for extracting volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds.

Key words: Optimal extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, solvent, recovery, soxhlet extraction.