Safety study of an experimental apparatus for extraction with supercritical CO2

Abstract

-During the process of supercritical CO 2 extraction it is necessary to use high pressures in the procedure. The explosion of a pressure vessel can be harmful to people and cause serious damage to the environment. The aim of this study is to investigate the probability of death and injury in a laboratory unit for supercritical fluid extraction in the case of an explosion of the extractor vessel. The procedure is explained via a case study involving fatty acid extraction from vegetable oils with carbon dioxide above its supercritical conditions and under optimum operating conditions. According to the results, more importance should be given to the use of a protective headset because the probability of eardrum injury is superior to the probability of death from lung injury.

Supercritical Fluid‐Facilitated Exfoliation and Processing of 2D Materials

“…An explosion of pressurized reactors and vessels can cause catastrophic injury . Necessary safety awareness, training, and precautions should be used in such experimentation …”

Micronized benzoic acid decreases the concentration necessary to preserve acidic beverages against Alicyclobacillus

“…Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is a process that is growing in importance as an alternative to conventional separation processes and is already considered practical and possible. As SFE systems are now commonly used in many industries, safety rules have been defined to assure that the pressure vessels as well as the main components of a high pressure unit are perfectly safe for continuous operation (Soares and Coelho ). Behaviour of materials under high pressures and compressibility of liquids and gases are known in more and more detail, which allows to design and build equipment for much high pressure and temperatures than what is probably needed in the food industry.…”