[What is a supercritical fluid?]
[New reaction solvent] [Applications
in extraction and purification] [Applications
in materials processing] [Kobe
Steel publications on supercritical fluids]
What
is a supercritical fluid?
- A supercritical fluid is a material which
can be either liquid or gas, used in a state above the critical
temperature and critical pressure where gases and liquids can
coexist. It shows unique properties that are different from those
of either gases or liquids under standard conditions.
Phase diagram for water and carbon dioxide
- A supercritical fluid has both the gaseous
property of being able to penetrate anything,
and the liquid property of being able to
dissolve materials into their components?
In addition, it offers the advantage of being
able to change density to a great extent
in a continuous manner. On this account,
use of carbon dioxide or water in the form
of a supercritical fluid offers a substitute
for an organic solvent in the fields of the
food industry and medical supplies. Furthermore,
as a new technology which is user-friendly
to both human beings and the environment,
it is attracting wide attention.
- Currently, particular attention is being
paid to uses in the field of reaction solvent where the range
of applications is rapidly widening.
- Kobe Steel puts its years of accumulated experience, research
and development expertise, fundamental data, engineering know-how,
high-pressure equipment designing skills and manufacturing capabilities
at your disposal to help you cope with the full range of your
needs.
New
reaction solvent
- Use of a supercritical fluid, with the special
properties it offers such as control over solubility, excellent
transportability, and the ability to dissolve substances, enables
you to make use of new reaction processes for hydrolysis or partial
oxidation, particularly in the case of water.
- [Examples]
- Chemical recycling of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) containers,
transformation of cellulose into glucose, etc.
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- The dissolving power of a supercritical fluid
offers a safe solvent in food processing, and enables quick extraction
of spirits or rapid removal of unnecessary components at nearly
room temperature. Furthermore, as a substitute for the conventional
distillation method using an azeotropic mixture, it carries out
separation with an energy-saving high density concentration.
[Examples]
- Separation and purification of oil and grease, odorants,
medicinal components from flora and fauna stock, such as the
removal of agrochemicals from ginseng extract.
- Removal or concentration of impurities in chemical materials
or chemical products, such as the conversion of an ethanol aqueous
solution (azeotropic mixture) into an anhydrous form.
- Fractionation and purification of polymers, such as the removal
of unchanged monomers from polymers.
- Use of a supercritical fluid will make it
possible to manufacture specially structured products and high-functional,
high-quality materials, which are almost impossible to produce
with conventional manufacturing methods.
[Examples]
- Fine-graining, thin-filming, fiber-refining
using the RESS
(Rapid Expansion of the Supercritical
Solutions) method, as in
the manufacture of whisker-shaped fine
particles.
- Fine-graining or thin-filming by the poor solvent method
(GAS: the gas anti-solvent method), as for the strengthening
of silica-aerogel (surface coating).
- On the basis of its research and development
activities on the subject of high-pressure vapor-liquid equilibrium,
Kobe Steel has published a variety of research reports, conference
presentations and journal articles in the various fields where
supercritical fluids can be used.
Inquiries
can be addressed to:
- Mr. Fumihiko Kasuya
-
- Machinery & Engineering Company
- Kobe Steel,Ltd.
- Telephone:+81-78-881-3416
- Telefax:+81-78-881-3392
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