Economic study
Liquefied gases as alternative solvents for green extraction of natural products

The lack of economic data available in the literature and the number of factors to be taken into account make it difficult to carry out an exhaustive study of the real cost of a liquefied gas extraction process compared with existing technologies. Nevertheless, certain indicators such as the price of solvents and the capital cost of an extraction unit can provide an initial basis for comparison with conventional extraction processes. The price of liquefied gases ranges from 1-2 k€/t for propane, butane and dimethyl ether to 17 k€/t for HFO-1234ze, and can rise to 200 k€/t for HFO-1234yf (prices excluding taxes, INVENTEC Performance Chemicals, 2016), compared with around 1 k€/t for hexane. The cost of a 0.5 m ³ extraction unit can range from 300 k€ to 500 k€ (according to