ARS | Publication request: ECONOMIC ANALYSIS FOR THE EXTRACTION OF JOJOBA MEAL BY SUPERCRITICAL CO2

Submitted to: Intl Symposium on Supercritical Fluid Chromatography and Extraction
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 22, 2001
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: The economic feasibility of a facility designed to recover the residual wax ester from jojoba press cake by supercritical CO2 extraction was considered on the basis of the direct fixed capital and operating costs. The current study estimate was developed for a plant that could process 250,000 kg/yr of jojoba meal operating 200 d/yr and 12 hr/d. Incoming meal was assumed to contain 15% wax esters and the extracted meal was expected to have less than 1% residual wax esters. The quality of the extracted wax esters would correspond to a premium product and find application in cosmetics and other personal care formulations. Defatted jojoba meal contains other potential co-products in the form of proteins and bioactive compounds that can improve the process economics. The proposed extraction plant would implement heat recovery systems for energy conservation and computer control systems to maintain the target operating conditions. Heat generated by the compression of carbon dioxide in the primary pump would be transferred to reduce the heat duty associated with the separator vessel. Such design considerations allow smaller equipment to be specified and result in lower capital requirements. The fixed capital and operating costs for this facility were estimated to add approximately $3/kg of recovered product.