A continuous countercurrent extraction process for the recovery of hydrocortisone from the fermentation liquor has been developed with annular centrifugal contactors. When the hydrocortisone was extracted from the fermentation liquor with the butyl acetate, the distribution ratio increased with increase of the hydrocortisone concentration in the equilibrium aqueous phase. Both the laboratory tests and the plant tests have been finished with F20 mm and F230 mm annular centrifugal contactors respectively. In the laboratory tests, when the rotor speed was 3400 4200 r/min, the fermentation liquor flow was 30 50 mL/min and the phase ratio (V O /V A ) was 0.36 0.50, the percent recovery of hydrocortisone was higher than 92%. In the plant tests, when the rotor speed was 2000 r/min, the fermentation liquor flow was 2000 L/h and the butyl acetate flow was 1000 L/h, the percent recovery of hydrocortisone was about 96.5 98%.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.