Essential Oil Solvent Extraction of Heavy Plant Lipids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional extraction methods fail to effectively retrieve heavier lipid-soluble compounds from plant materials, which are biologically active and provide numerous benefits, often discarding them as waste.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing an essential oil solvent to extract heavier lipid-soluble compounds, such as triterpenes, vitamins, and carotenoids, from plant materials, including spent plant material, through methods like steam distillation, hydro-distillation, and solvent-based extraction, while avoiding harmful chemicals and reducing waste.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional distillation or solvent-based extraction methods are used, then lighter compounds can be extracted efficiently, but heavier lipid-soluble compounds (molecular weight ≥250 g/mol) remain in the spent plant material and are discarded as waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the extraction parameter by using food-grade solvents with specific molecular weights (200-500 g/mol) that are optimized for extracting heavier lipid-soluble compounds. This parameter change allows the extraction of compounds with molecular weight ≥250 g/mol that were previously inaccessible, transforming the spent plant material from waste into a valuable resource containing concentrated heavier compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers heavier lipid-soluble compounds from spent plant material that would otherwise be discarded. By applying a second extraction process to the spent material using appropriate food-grade solvents, the system converts waste into valuable extractable compounds, eliminating the loss of substance while maintaining productivity of the overall process.
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional extraction methods are used, then the process is simple and fast, but harmful chemicals may be introduced and environmental sustainability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameter by selecting food-grade solvents (ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol, fatty acids) with specific molecular weight ranges (200-500 g/mol) that are non-toxic and environmentally sustainable. This parameter change maintains the simplicity of the extraction process while eliminating harmful chemicals, allowing the same basic extraction methodology to be used with safer, sustainable solvents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses food-grade solvents that are inexpensive, readily available, and can be easily disposed of or recycled without environmental harm. These solvents (ethanol, glycerin, propylene glycol) replace expensive or hazardous chemical solvents, maintaining ease of manufacture through simple procurement and handling while eliminating harmful factors through their benign nature.
3Productivity
If a single extraction process is used, then the process is efficient and quick, but both lighter and heavier compounds cannot be extracted simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the extraction process into two distinct stages: first extracting lighter compounds from fresh plant material, then extracting heavier lipid-soluble compounds from the spent plant material using food-grade solvents. This segmentation allows each extraction to be optimized for its target compound range while maintaining overall process efficiency, achieving both speed and versatility through sequential specialized extractions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional extraction system where the same basic extraction apparatus and methodology can extract different compound ranges by changing only the solvent type and plant material state. The system universally handles both lighter and heavier compounds through two extraction modes, making the process adaptable to different extraction goals without requiring completely different equipment or procedures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method efficiently extracts appreciable quantities of heavier lipid-soluble molecules, reducing waste and providing a more concentrated and effective form of these compounds for use in products like aromatherapy, personal care, and nutritional supplements.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing an essential oil solvent to extract heavier lipid-soluble compounds, such as triterpenes, vitamins, and carotenoids, from plant materials
Implementation Method 2
methods like steam distillation, hydro-distillation, and solvent-based extraction
Implementation Method 3
steam distillation
Implementation Method 4
methods like steam distillation, hydro-distillation, and solvent-based extraction
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for extracting additional beneficial lipid-soluble heavy compounds from plant material in an environmentally sustainable manner. A method includes preparing a solution that includes a solvent comprising one or more of a monoterpene, a monoterpenoid, a sesquiterpene, or a sesquiterpenoid. The solution further includes a solute comprising a plant material. The method includes extracting one or more compounds from the plant material using the solvent comprising the one or more of the monoterpene, the monoterpenoid, the sesquiterpene, or the sesquiterpenoid.