Molecular distillation experiment of acer truncatum oil

Common methods for separation and purification of nervonic acid include low temperature crystallization, metal salt precipitation, CO₂ supercritical extraction, thin layer chromatography, urea inclusion and molecular distillation. However, metal salt precipitation method (poor purification effect and solvent residue), CO₂ supercritical extraction (complex process and high cost), thin layer chromatography method (complex operation process, only applicable to the laboratory, difficult to achieve industrial production, solvent residue) and other methods are not suitable for making nervonic acid from acer truncatum oil.

Molecular distillation technology mainly uses the difference of the molecular free path of different substances to achieve the separation of substances, so it can be operated away from the boiling point, which is a special high vacuum liquid-liquid separation technology. Compared with conventional distillation process has high vacuum molecular distillation process, short heating time, lower distillation temperature, solvent residue, without boiling bubble phenomenon and other characteristics, especially suitable for low volatility, high molecular weight, high boiling point, high viscosity, separation of heat sensitive and bioactive material, solved the conventional distillation technology cannot solve the problem. Molecular distillation technology has been widely used in chemical industry, medicine, food and cosmetics, some of which have been industrialized.

Bao Feng company uses molecular distillation technology to separate nervonic acid in acer truncatum oil. The mixed fatty acid raw material enters into the molecular distillation device after preheating from the feeder. Under the action of high-speed rotation of the scraper rotor, it is evenly distributed on the heating evaporation surface. Raw materials on the evaporation heat, under the condition of high vacuum, volatile components after gasification touch between the condenser and condense into liquid, collecting bottles of acid for light component along the condenser into low relative volatility of a restructuring, collect bottles along the inner wall of the distillation unit into a restructuring, will be a restructuring a cool after testing content. Liquid nitrogen as cryogenic agent in cold trap can prevent volatile matter from entering vacuum pump. Because the vacuum system has the intermediate condensing tube and the cold trap double condensing function, guarantees the entire system operation pressure equalization.

Figure. The cream obtained by molecular distillation