Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acid Purification via Silver Salt Complex Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for purifying highly unsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid ethyl ester, face challenges including high production costs due to expensive silver nitrate usage, low yield, and difficulty in achieving high purity, especially when dealing with impurities like arachidonic acid and eicosatetraenoic acid.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a silver salt aqueous solution to form a complex with highly unsaturated fatty acids, allowing for their collection in an oil layer, followed by further purification steps to achieve high yield and purity, while reducing production costs by reusing and optimizing the silver salt solution and oil layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If silver nitrate treatment is used to purify highly unsaturated fatty acids, then purity can be improved, but production cost increases due to high silver nitrate price
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers and reuses the oil layer containing highly unsaturated fatty acids that would otherwise be discarded during silver nitrate treatment. By collecting this oil layer and incorporating it into the purification process, the method reduces silver nitrate consumption and lowers production cost while maintaining high purity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the purification process by changing the approach to handling the oil layer - instead of discarding it, the oil layer is collected, concentrated, and reused as a raw material. This parameter change in process flow reduces material waste and production cost
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional silver nitrate treatment is used, then some purification is achieved, but yield is low due to incomplete complex formation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a continuous purification process where the oil layer is collected, concentrated, and reused in subsequent purification steps. This continuous utilization of the oil layer ensures complete complex formation and maximizes yield while maintaining high purity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary collection and concentration of the oil layer before incorporating it into the main purification process. This preliminary action ensures that all highly unsaturated fatty acids are captured and available for complete complex formation in subsequent steps
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple purification methods are combined to achieve high purity, then purity is improved, but device complexity and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the oil layer serve multiple functions: it acts as both the product to be purified and the raw material for subsequent purification steps. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate purification stages and simplifies the overall process while achieving high purity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the purification process with the product collection process by using the same oil layer for both purposes. This combining of functions reduces process complexity and eliminates the need for separate purification stages
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
This method enables the industrial-scale purification of highly unsaturated fatty acids to pharmaceutical-grade quality at a lower cost, improving yield and purity compared to conventional techniques.
Implementation Method 1
highly unsaturated fatty acids and derivatives thereof, which are raw materials, are added to a solution where a complex is formed with highly unsaturated fatty acids and derivatives thereof in an oil layer created as a by-product and a silver salt aqueous solution
Data Source
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AI summary
A production method of highly unsaturated fatty acids with a high purity/high yield that compensates for shortcomings of conventional techniques is provided. A purification method of highly unsaturated fatty acids and/or derivatives thereof comprising (a) contacting and stirring first raw materials comprising the substances with a first silver salt aqueous solution to collect a first oil layer and a first aqueous layer; (b) separating the first aqueous layer into a second silver salt aqueous solution and the substances; and (c) contacting and stirring the first oil layer with the second silver salt aqueous solution for separation into an oil layer and an aqueous layer to obtain a second aqueous layer comprising the substances.