Supercritical Fluid Adsorption and Desorption of Lipids on Various Adsorbents

Mojca Škerget, Željko Knez*
University of Maribor, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Smetanova 17, SI-2000 Maribor, Slovenia
Phone: + 386 2 229 44 61, Fax: + 386 2 2527 774
E-mail: zeljko.knez@uni-mb.si

Abstract
In present work the feasibility of using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) for separation of free fatty acids (FFA) and triglycerides has been examined. Lipids such as oleic acid and sunflower oil (containing 96% of triglycerides) were used; adsorption and desorption on adsorbents such as silica gel and neusilin using supercritical CO2 as mobile phase was investigated. The experiments were performed at 40 °C and in the pressure range from 13 to 30 MPa. Adsorption kinetic lines were determined by analysing breakthrough curves. Several parameters such as rate of adsorption and desorption, loading, desorbed quantity and diffusion coefficients in solid phase were calculated.

Keywords: Supercritical fluid chromatography, lipids, oleic acid, triglycerides, adsorption, desorption