Application of reactive extraction to recovery of carboxylic acids

Abstract

Carboxylic acids are examples of compounds with wide industrial applications and high potential. This article presents the principles of reactive extraction along with the characteristics of tertiary amine extractants, while is given on considering the effect of the amine class and chain length. As such a brief overview the current research on reactive extraction, including the recovery of citric acid, selective amine-based extraction, and extractive fermentation is given. When discussing extractive fermentation, strategies for reducing solvent toxicity are also suggested based on specific examples. Finally, solvent regeneration and stripping of extracted acid are explained.