2025/10/25 by Rayanne Priscilla França de Melo, Rafael Chelala Moreira, Gláucia María Pastore +3 · 1 voice
Engineering · Chemical Engineering · Chemistry · #Phase Equilibria and Thermodynamics #Catalysis and Oxidation Reactions #Analytical Chemistry and Chromatography
paper · pdf · doi:10.1021/acsomega.5c08436
openalex publication_date 2025/10/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Brazil is the world’s largest orange producer, generating significant amounts of byproducts that are used to produce limonene-rich orange essential oil. In this sense, one possible alternative for its valorization is the biotransformation of limonene into α-terpineol, which has emerged as a promising valorization route, but the efficient separation of these compounds remains challenging due to their similar chemical nature. This work aimed to evaluate the solubility and fractionation behavior of α-terpineol and limonene in supercritical CO 2 (SC-CO 2 ) using a model mixture (orange essential oil + α-terpineol, 60:40 wt %), which simulated a biotransformation product. The best solubilization was found at 10 MPa and 40 °C. Supercritical fluid fractionation (SFF) was performed at different separator pressures (6–8 MPa) and temperatures (40–60 °C), to find optimal conditions for the selective recovery of α-terpineol. The SFF performed at 8 MPa and 40 °C achieved the precipitation of most α-terpineol. However, coprecipitation of limonene indicated limited selectivity under the tested conditions, likely due to molecular interactions in the complex multicomponent matrix. Calculated losses through the SFF at this same condition indicated a substantial limonene loss of nearly 50%, highlighting the challenges in designing an efficient system for terpene separation.