Separation and purification of high value phytochemicals from plant biomass

Abstract

Phytochemicals are the individual chemicals from which plants are made and are alternatively referred to as natural products, which have been used since ancient times as drugs. In modern times, natural products are still used as drugs; however, more importantly they are used as a source of new leads into new bioactive compounds. Paclitaxel and betulinic acid, in particular are prized for their characteristics as anti-cancer compounds among other traits. The following work examines the extraction of paclitaxel from Taxus canadensis on a pilot scale set-up using Dynamic Pressurized Liquid Extraction (DPLE). The results are then compared to the conventional solvent extraction method in order to compare DPLE to current industrial operations. The analysis and batch separation of betulinic acid from birch bark was also examined. A paclitaxel purity of 1.1% with 90% recovery was achieved using DPLE. As well, ethanol was found to be the best solvent for betulinic acid extraction under conventional solvent extraction methods. DPLE is deemed to be worthy of further study in commercial processes.