Concentration of Antioxidant Compounds from Calendula officinalis through Sustainable Supercritical Technologies, and Computational Study of Their Permeability in Skin for Cosmetic Use

The growing interest in the cosmetic industry in using compounds of natural and sustainable origin that are safe for humans is encouraging the development of processes that can satisfy these needs. Chlorogenic acid (CHA), caffeic acid (CAF) and ferulic acid (FA) are three compounds widely used within the cosmetic industry due to their functionalities as antioxidants, collagen modifiers or even as radiation protectors. In this work, two advanced separation techniques with supercritical CO2 are used to obtain these three compounds from Calendula officinalis, and these are then evaluated using a computational skin permeability model. This model is encompassed by the COSMO-RS model, the calculations of which make it possible to study the behaviour of the compounds in the epidermis. The results show that both CAF and FA are retained in the stratum corneum, while CHA manages to penetrate to the stratum spinosum. These compounds were concentrated by antisolvent fractionation with super-critical CO2 using a Response Surface Methodology to study the effect of pressure and CO2 flow rate. CHA, CAF and FA were completely retained in the precipitation vessel, with concentrations between 40% and 70% greater than in the original extract. The conditions predicted that the optimal overall yield and enrichment achieved would be 153 bar and 42 g/min.

Application of Supercritical Technologies in Clean Energy Production

In this chapter the authors seek to acquaint the reader with unusual properties of supercritical fluids, and how these properties are used for various applications in the synthesis of biofuels and the intensification of energy processes and thermal cycles. The review includes the studies of leading scientists from around the world related to effective and environmentally friendly methods and technologies of energy acquisition and conversion involving the synthesis of motor fuels, materials and chemicals, solar energy conversion, and thermal cycle efficiencies using supercritical fluids. A special place in the chapter is occupied by studies of the transformation of vegetable oils, algae, and wood in supercritical alcohols, esters, and water to produce biodiesel fuels and hydrogen.

The use of process simulation in supercritical fluids applications

Modelling and simulation from micro- to macro-scale are needed to attain a broader commercialization of supercritical technologies.

Application of Supercritical Technologies in Clean Energy Production

In this chapter the authors seek to acquaint the reader with unusual properties of supercritical fluids, and how these properties are used for various applications in the synthesis of biofuels and the intensification of energy processes and thermal cycles. The review includes the studies of leading scientists from around the world related to effective and environmentally friendly methods and technologies of energy acquisition and conversion involving the synthesis of motor fuels, materials and chemicals, solar energy conversion and thermal cycle efficiencies using supercritical fluids. A special place in the chapter is occupied by studies of the transformation of vegetable oils, algae and wood in supercritical alcohols, esters and water to produce biodiesel fuels and hydrogen.

The Application of Supercritical CO2 Based Technology for Curcumin Particle Processing

Supercritical CO2 is commonly used in the processing of natural products due to several advantageous factors such as inexpensiveness, moderate operating parameters and simple purification step. In the processing of phyto-pharmaceuticals, CO2 has been used mostly for extraction, purification and particle formation. This article is a review of supercritical particle formation processes applied to phenolic compounds, specifically curcumin. In summary, supercritical technologies constitute a process platform for the modification of curcumin physicochemical properties. The use of supercritical CO2 as a solute, solvent or anti-solvent in curcumin processing enabled the production of material with particle size as small as 15 nm and improved antioxidant activity.