Author: Jean-Yves Clavier

Supercritical fluid technology at industrial scale : Is it so green and so expensive ?

SUP ENG gave a keynote lecture at EMSF supercritical fluid meeting in Budapest.
Title was “Supercritical fluid technology at industrial scale : Is it so green and so expensive ? “The aim was just to propose a pragmatic view using chemical engineering considerations. If most widespread answers are just to say blindly yes to both parts of the questions, this is definitely not so often the case and I tried to propose chemical engineering solutions to improve it. Happy to hear quite positive feedback from the audience. A surprising one – but maybe my favorite – is coming from a well-known supercritical fluid chromatography specialist : « Your are right Jean-Yves, but you are too honest! ». At this point of my professional career, is there anything else to do that trying to use my experience in really honest and independent advice on when and how to use this technology for the best ?
Is Supercritical fluid technology so green and so expensive for my project ? You are welcome to contact me for a free, independent, honest and hopefully not to stupid point of view on your project !  

Sup Eng invests in a new High Pressure and Supercritical Fluid Visualization system

Sup Eng recently built and installed in its lab a new sapphire cell system for full media visualization and for thermodynamic measurements in supercritical fluids and in high pressure conditions. Equipped with a transparent jacket or immersed in a hot water bath for precise temperature control, it is designed with sampling systems and operated either in batch or continuously mode.

It will be used for new process developments like:

– Measurement of equilibrium data to be introduced in our process simulation suite SIM FIT.

– Determination of optimal process conditions allowing for instance to set good separation or precipitation conditions like for instance in the dewaxing process.

– Observing and quantifying phenomena like beads fluidization used in some coating or drying processes.

Sapphire cell for supercritical fluid process visualization
Sapphire cell for supercritical fluid process visualization

Sup Eng invests in Supercritical Fluid lab systems

Sup Eng is now equipped locally in Nancy-France with a versatile pilot plant operating up to 1 000 bar and 200°C and designed for supercritical fluid extraction, sterilization, purification by adsorption / desorption, drying, reaction and particle formation. I hope that the lab may soon be completed with counter-current column for liquid fractionation and Prep SFC. A thermodynamic equilibrium cell apparatus will also come in the next weeks.

This lab will allow us working locally for our process development contracts with quicker results.  It will also give us the experimental data to implement our new process simulation software built for supercritical processes simulation and scale up.

It will also give us the possibility to launch internal research programs. We will of course continue our partnerships with our existing R&D partners.

It will be a pleasure to tell you more, please contact us at info@supeng.fr

Sup Eng is moving GREEN !

Sup Eng is moving its facilities to Nancy, and exactly back in Champigneulles close to the lake and forest area where we were before launching this nice 5 year Paris experience!

We will still have an office and a place to stay in the center of Paris, and it will still be a pleasure to meet you there for those who find it easy and who like to combine work and festive evenings, but at 1:30 by train, you will also have the opportunity to reach us in our green and quiet space with large facilities, getting fresh ideas from our forest walks, back to the place where we first developed innovative large scale supercritical fluid processes in early 90’!

Nancy is a world renowned excellence center for process engineering. Sure it will be a nice place to continue the development of innovative and efficient large scale environment respectful applications using #HighPressure #SupercriticalFluid #Extraction #ContinuousFractionation #PrepSFC #Adsorption #Membrane #Reaction #Sterilization Processes.

Contact details are still the same at www.supercriticalfluid.net

Firmenich acquires CO2 Extraction Technology Unit from Evonik

11/2019 Firmenich, the world’s largest privately-owned perfume and taste company, has acquired the CO2 extraction business from Evonik Industries AG located in Trostberg, Germany. This acquisition significantly expands Firmenich’s capabilities in super critical fluid extraction (SFE), complementing its Naturals Centre of Excellence in Grasse, France. With more than 30 years of experience in botanical raw material extraction the CO2 business of Evonik will enhance Firmenich’s ability to address customers’ growing demand for authentic, natural taste and scent experiences. CO2 extraction offers the safest, cleanest, and highest-quality method of extracting natural botanical molecules, from flowers and nuts to coffee and tea.

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More info on this acquisition