Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) in an intermittent process as a new alternative for production of tincture from medicinal plants: The scale up and economic evaluation for production of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims) leaf hydroalcoholic extract

Abstract

This work involves the simulation of scale-up and economic evaluation of the production process of passion fruit leaf extract (Passiflora edulis Sims) through intermittent pressurized liquid extraction. The highest extraction efficiency was achieved using a 70 % ethanol (v/v) mixture on a laboratory scale at 80 °C with 100 % solvent renewal per static cycle in 5 cycles and 6 min of static time. A scale-up study was conducted, keeping both the significant process variables and the solvent mass/feed mass ratio constant at (S/F= 4.25). This scale-up method proved effective for scaling from laboratory to pilot scale (from 34 mL to 2 L). Extraction with the pilot-scale equipment yielded total solids ranging from 35.6 ± 1.5 % with a consumption of around 3768.4 ± 121.3 mL of solution. The extraction curves were similar for both scales despite different times. Manufacturing Cost (COM), Profitability Analysis, Return on Investment Rate, Gross Margin, and Payback Time were simulated using SuperPro Designer® version 8.5 software. Five extraction systems were evaluated, with four using 2 extraction cells in a semi-continuous system with capacities of 2, 10, 50, and 100 liters and one in a batch system with only 1 cell. The results demonstrated that industrial-scale equipment has a lower COM if operated in a semi-continuous regime (2 extraction cells) with just two extraction cycles, presenting a competitive market price.