Evaluation of the mass transfer parameters, kinetic modeling, and detected optimized effective variables of dopamine extraction from the discarded fruit banana peel

This research aims to inspect factors like solvent, time, pH, and sample-to-solvent ratio on the extraction of dopamine from the banana peel through the leaching technique. Design-Expert DOE software was utilized to examine the effective factors. The most important effective parameter in the efficiency of dopamine extraction in water and ethanol solvents was the sample-to-solvent ratio parameter. The yield was measured at 38.47% using water at optimal values such as pH of 5.38, time of 27.62 min, sample-to-solvent ratio of 0.137, and dopamine concentration of 86.56 ppm. In the case of ethanol, the yield was attained at 91.36% in the optimal values such as pH of 5.78, time of 20 min, the ratio of sample to solvent of 0.16, and dopamine concentration of 205.56 ppm. The most desired kinetic model for dopamine extraction in water and ethanol was a pseudo-second-order equation with a correlation coefficient of R² > 0.99. Besides, the mass transfer parameters were calculated, demonstrating that dopamine’s flux and mass transfer coefficient in ethanol are higher. The extraction of dopamine from banana peels using water and ethanol as solvents yields satisfactory results, and various kinetic models can be used to describe the kinetics of dopamine extraction, providing a better understanding of the process. Additionally, a new generation of natural eutectic solvents can be employed to extract dopamine.