What Are Supercritical Fluids and How do They Work?

When a gas such a Carbon Dioxide is contained under high pressure and heated, it changes physical properties, becoming a supercritical fluid. In this state, it has the solvating power of a liquid and the diffusivity of a gas. In short, it has properties of both a gas and a liquid. This means that supercritical fluids work extremely well as a processing media for a wide variety of chemical, biological, and polymer extraction.

Another powerful aspect to supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is the ability to precisely control which component(s) of a complex matrix are extracted and which ones are left behind. This is accomplished through precise control of several key parameters such a temperature, pressure, flow rates and processing time. Yields are much greater with SFE than extractions performed by traditional techniques, and product purity is high. Decomposition of materials almost never occurs due to the relatively mild processing temperatures.

Common Applications of Supercritical Fluid Extraction