Thesis (PhD (Chemical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020 / The use of bioproducts in different commercial sectors such as medicine, agriculture, cosmetics, food, and chemical industries motivates the need for easy production and recovery techniques of bioproducts at laboratory and pilot scale. This study aims at the production and recovery of some selected bioproducts using supercritical fluid extraction techniques. Three products are chosen as case studies: these are ethanol, acetoin, and vanillin, since the ease of separation is influenced by the concentration of the product in the broth, these compounds were selected based on their concentration in the fermentation broth, according to literature sources. A standard method was developed in a spectrophotometer for quantifying the targeted product in the broth, while the product recovery studies was carried out using a supercritical fluid extraction pilot plant. Saccharomyces and Bacillus species were chosen for the bioproduction of the selected bioproducts. Experimental design and statistical analysis of results were carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN). Studies on each of the selected bioproducts are as justified in the paragraphs below. Bioethanol production has recently become an increasing trend in research, with a focus on increasing its economic viability. Hence, the need to develop a low-cost fermentation medium with minimum redundant nutritional supplements, thereby minimizing the costs associated with nutritional supplements whereby inoculum preparation becomes necessary for ethanol production. Corn steep liquor (CSL) in glucose fermentation by Saccharomyces Type 1 (ST1) strain and Anchor Instant Yeast (AIY), which are low-cost media, are used as replacements for yeast extract (YE). The fermentation process parameters were optimized using artificial neural networks (ANN) and the response surface methodology (RSM). The study shows that for CSL, a maximum average ethanol concentration of 41.92 and 45.16 g/L representing 82% and 88% of the theoretical yield were obtained after 36 h of fermentation in a shake flask for ST1 and AIY respectively. For YE, ethanol concentration equivalent to 86% and 88% of theoretical yield were obtained with ST1 and AIY respectively after 48 h. Although, ANN predicted the responses of ethanol yield better than RSM, optimum conditions for ethanol production were better predicted by RSM. The consumers’ preference for ‘naturally’ produced aromas drives the development of bioproduction of acetoin from glucose with a view to optimize its production. The results revealed that by using a cheap nitrogen source, corn steep liquor, the yield of acetoin was similar to those of yeast and beef extracts. Furthermore, it was shown that by using Box-Behnken design, the optimum parameters such as glucose concentration, corn steep liquor, and inoculum size to maximize the concentration of acetoin produced were 78.40 g/L, 15.00% w/v and 2.70% v/v respectively. The validated concentration of acetoin produced in a triplicate analysis, 10.7 g/L, was 0.06% less than the predicted value. Increasing awareness of consumers of healthy, eco-friendly flavors and fragrances motivates the bioproduction of vanillin. The interactive effects of three variables on vanillin yield were evaluated by response surface methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken design (BBD) model. The results showed the optimum conditions for the biotransformation of ferulic acid into vanillin can be achieved with maximum overall desirability (D) of 1.0 and a significant (p<0.05) quadratic model with regression coefficient (R2) of 0.995. Corn steep liquor, initial ferulic acid concentration and pH significantly influence the concentration of vanillin in the broth. The results in triplicate experiments confirmed vanillin yield of 386 mg/L after validation, which was in agreement with the prediction of the model. The maximum vanillin yield of 384.40 mg/L was predicted when corn steep liquor, ferulic acid concentration and pH were 7.72 g/L, 2.33 g/L, and 9.34 respectively. Fermentation system in a bioreactor has been proven to be an efficient system for the study of controlled fermentation variables when compared to a shake flask study. The influence of agitation, aeration, time and pH were analysed by Taguchi orthogonal array design for the upscale of acetoin in a bioreactor. The optimized parameters in 1.3L of fermentation vessel were as follows: 300 rpm agitation, 1.5 slpm aeration; 2 days’ fermentation time and 6.5 pH value. Agitation with above 70% was the most contributing factor and other variables were less than 30% in the percentage analysis of variance of each fermentation variables in the batch study of acetoin. A fourfold gain in acetoin titre (42.30 g/L) was obtained with the same substrate concentration in a lab-scale bioreactor on scaling up when compared with the shake flask batch study. The validated acetoin concentration of 41.72 g/L was obtained after a triplicate experiment to confirm the possibility of reproducing acetoin using the optimized conditions. Many separation techniques have been proven to recover value-added products from fermentation broth with a preference for several methods above other and new techniques that are emerging. Supercritical fluids separation using CO2 is one such technique. The feasibility of acetoin concentration and recovery was studied in supercritical CO2 pilot plant with pressure ranges of 100 to 300 bar, CO2 feed rate of 5 to 15 kg/h, at a process temperature of 37 and 80 °C in simulated and fermentation broth, respectively. The validated conditions for the fractionation of acetoin by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) were determined as follows: extraction pressure, 300 bar; CO2 feed rate, 15 kg/h; extraction temperature 37 °C; and fractionation time of 30 minutes. At these operating conditions, the percentage recovery of acetoin with respect to the feed solution at the raffinate for the simulated and actual ermentation broth was 77.8% (0.20 g/L) and 77% (0.15 g/L) respectively. A two-fold extract increase was obtained after 30 minutes of fractionation. The study provides the technical feasibility and the base case data which are critical to the development and design of processes for production and recovery of acetoin. The lesson gleaned from this study may be extended to develop processes for the production and recovery of other bioproducts (ethanol and vanillin).

En raison de leurs excellentes propriétés, les polyoléfines telles que le polypropylène et le polyéthylène sont largement utilisées dans des applications d'emballage alimentaire. Cependant, tout au long de leur cycle de vie ou de la première utilisation, les polyoléfines peuvent être exposées à des milieux contaminés qui limitent leur recyclabilité en contact alimentaire. Par conséquence, le recyclage de polyoléfines au contact alimentaire nécessite des niveaux de décontamination rigoureux et donc une technologie de décontamination avancée. L’objectif de ce travail consiste dans un premier temps à étudier la faisabilité et la potentialité de l’extraction par CO2 supercritique en mode batch pour la purification de polyoléfines (extraction d’additifs et de contaminants modèles). On s’est plus particulièrement attaché à étudier l’effet des paramètres du procédé sur la cinétique de l’extraction ainsi que l’influence de l’extraction supercritique sur les comportements rhéologique et thermique des matériaux purifiés. Dans un deuxième temps, on s’est intéressé au développement d’un nouveau procédé continu d’extraction par couplage de l’extraction supercritique et l’extrusion bi-vis. Les résultats les plus importants ont montré la potentialité de l’extraction par CO2 supercritique en mode batch pour la purification de polyoléfines sans influencer significativement les propriétés de la matrice / Due to their excellent properties, polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene are widely used in food packaging applications to preserve and protect foodstuffs. However, throughout their lifecycle or first use, polyolefins can be exposed to contaminated media which limit their recyclability in food contact applications. Therefore, the recycling of polyolefins into direct food contact applications requires rigorous decontamination levels and thus effective and advanced recycling technology. The objective of this work is, at first hand, to study the feasibility and the potential of supercritical CO2 extraction in batch process for the purification of polyolefins (extraction of additives and model contaminants). In the whole, we investigated the effects of process parameters and contaminant structure on the extraction kinetic, and the influence of the supercritical CO2 extraction on the rheological and thermal behaviors of the purified materials. On the other hand, we aimed at the development of a novel continuous extraction process by coupling supercritical extraction technique and twin-screw extrusion. The most significant results showed the potential of supercritical CO2 extraction in batch mode for the purification of polyolefins without influence significantly the matrix properties

L’extraction d’huile végétale à partir des graines repose principalement deux procédés : le pressage mécanique et ’extraction par solvants. Dans un contexte actuel de limitation de la consommation de solvants et de recherche de procédés adaptés à la production d’huile végétales thermosensibles, un procédé alternatif d’extraction d’huile a été étudié dans ce mémoire : le pressage mécanique assisté par CO2 supercritique (GAME). Pour évaluer le potentiel de cette technique en terme de rendement en huile et de co-extraction de composés antioxydants dans l’huile, l’extraction par CO2 supercritique (EPCO2-SC) et le pressage à vis (procédé de référence en trituration) ont été préalablement étudiés. Deux espèces ont été étudiées, les graines de lin et les pépins de raisin. En EPCO2-SC, des rendements en huile moins importants sont obtenus, cependant il est possible d’augmenter la teneur en polyphénols co-extraits dans l’huile par le contrôle des paramètres opératoires. L’évaluation des deux modes de pressage assisté (sous flux continu de CO2-SC et après un conditionnement en CO2-SC) a montré que le rendement en huile pouvait être augmenté de 30 à 40% en comparaison au pressage hydraulique seul malgré l’application de faibles pressions mécaniques effectives (de l’ordre de 3,5 à 7 MPa). Toutefois, les rendements obtenus restent inférieurs à ceux observés en pressage en continu. La teneur en antioxydants dans l’huile est fonction de la température et de la pression appliquée, mais reste inférieure à celle obtenue pour des conditions identiques en EPCO2-SC. / Screw pressing or solvent extraction are processes commonly used at an industrial scale to extract oil from oilseeds. However, in a context of continuous improvements, i.e. reduction ofsolvent consumption and production of high-quality oils, gas assisted mechanical expression appears as an interesting alternative, among emerging technologies. To assess the latter in terms of oil extraction yield and co-extraction of antioxidant compounds in oil, supercritical CO2 extraction and screw pressing were preliminarily studied. Two raw material were studied; flaxseeds and grape seeds. Supercritical CO2 extraction lead to low oil yields, but by controlling CO2 pressure and temperature, total polyphenol content in oil could be enhanced. For gas assisted mechanical expression, two different procedures were applied: (i) conditioning of seeds in supercritical CO2 followed by expression and (ii) expression under a simultaneous flux of CO2, flowing through the compacted seed bed. By those two procedures,oil yield could be increased from 30 to 40% by comparison to conventional hydraulic expression (even though low effective mechanical pressure were applied (3,5 to 7 MPa)). However, although antioxidant level in oil could be increased by modulating CO2 pressure and temperature for gas assisted mechanical expression, this level remained lower than those obtained in oil by supercritical CO2 extraction in the same conditions. Screw pressing enabled the highest oil yields among the three studied processes. Furthermore, oil composition was unaffected by screw pressing operational conditions.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The main objective of this work was to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of extracts of Brassica oleracea var. capitata, obtained by supercritical CO2 and ultrasound-assisted extractions, as well as to carry out the characterization of these extracts using gas chromatography coupled with mass detector. For supercritical CO2, five extractions were performed to investigate the influence of pressure (10-25 MPa) and temperature (20-60°C) on the extraction yield, chemical composition and antioxidant activity towards peroxyl, superoxide and hydroxyl radicals. The highest extraction yield was 0.47% at 60 °C and 25 MPa. In the characterization of the extracts was possible to identify compounds like sulforaphane and iberin nitrile. All extracts showed antioxidant activity for the three radicals, although the highest activity for all radicals was obtained using the extract obtained at 60 °C and 25 MPa (run 2). For the ultrasound-assisted extraction were evaluated the effects of solvent concentration and temperature. The extracts obtained in the optimized extraction condition, were subjected to different hydrolysis conditions before use in biological assays. It was evaluated the antioxidant activity against DPPH, superoxide and peroxyl radicals, besides the antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. Both crude and hydrolyzed extracts were characterized by gas chromatography coupled with mass detector. The best condition for extraction was 30 ° C and 60% (w /v) of ethanol. All extracts showed antioxidant activity towards DPPH, superoxide and peroxyl radicals, but the use of hydrolyzed extracts improved considerably the antioxidant activities. Antibacterial activity was detected only in extracts hydrolysates Brassica oleracea var. capitata. The main contributions of this work were that the use of supercritical CO2 extraction to obtain bioactive compounds from Brassica oleracea var. capitata showed a promising alternative to conventional methods of extraction, since it allowed the extraction of compounds of interest in science and industry. Besides, in this work was demonstrated that the hydrolysis of extracts can increase the antioxidant activity of plant extracts. / O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi avaliar a atividade antioxidante e antibacteriana de extratos de Brassica oleracea var. capitata, obtidos a partir de extração supercrítica e extração por ultrassom, além de caracterizá-los por cromatografia gasosa acoplada à detector de massas. Para os compostos bioativos apolares de Brassica oleracea var. capitata, utilizou-se extração com CO2 supercrítico e avaliou-se o potencial antioxidante dos extratos. Foram realizadas cinco extrações para investigar a influência da pressão (10 - 25 MPa) e temperatura (20 - 60°C) no rendimento da extração, na composição química e na atividade antioxidante frente os radicais peroxila, superóxido e hidroxila. Obteve-se o maior rendimento de extração 0,47% a 60 °C e 25 MPa. Na caracterização dos extratos foi possível a identificação de compostos como sulforafano e iberin nitrila. Todos os extratos apresentaram atividade antioxidante para os três radicais, porém a maior atividade para todos os radicais foi o extrato obtido a 60°C e 25 MPa. Para os compostos bioativos polares, otimizou-se a extração assistida por ultrassom. Os extratos obtidos nas melhores condições de extração foram submetidos a diferentes condições de hidrólise, antes da sua utilização nos ensaios biológicos. Avaliou-se a atividade antioxidante, frente ao radical DPPH, superóxido e peroxila, além da atividade antibacteriana, frente a S.aureus e E.coli. Tanto os extratos brutos quanto os hidrolisados, foram caracterizados por cromatografia gasosa acoplada à detector de massas. A melhor condição de extração foi a 30ºC e 60% (m/v) de etanol. Todos os extratos apresentaram atividade antioxidante frente aos radicais DPPH, superóxido e peroxila, mas o uso de extratos hidrolisados melhorou consideravelmente a atividade antioxidante. Em relação à atividade antibacteriana, apenas uma amostra, que foi submetida à condição de hidrólise alcalina apresentou ação frente a E.coli. Uma das principais contribuições deste trabalho foi que a utilização de extração com CO2 supercrítico, para obtenção de compostos bioativos de Brassica oleracea var. capitata, mostrou ser uma alternativa promissora em relação aos métodos convencionais de extração, pois permitiu a extração de compostos com interesse científico e industrial. Além disso, foi demonstrado que a hidrólise dos extratos pode aumentar consideravelmente a atividade antioxidante de extratos vegetais em relação aos extratos brutos.