Microfluidic extraction of tannic acid from Quercus leaves

Abstract

In this study, extraction of tannic acid using microchannel was investigated. Affective parameters were optimized. Different solvents including buthanol, ethylacetate and n-hexane as organic phase, methanol, propanol, ethanol and water as aqueous phase investigated. Microchannels with different confluence angles and diameters were examined. Microchannels with different confluence angles and diameters were examined. The effects of pH, temperature, and volumetric flow ratio and contact time of the two phases were investigated. The response surface methodology was used to optimize extraction yield of tannin from Quercus leaves in the employed microchannels. Based on this optimization, maximum yield was achieved at pH=2, temperature=33.1℃, volumetric flow ratio =1.2 and contact time of 25.35s. Results show that extraction-using microchannel has many advantages over traditional methods, including shorter time and higher economic efficiency. Moreover, microchannel provides smaller volume of fluids resulting in lower solvent consumption, lower waste production, shorter analytical times, smaller space requirements, and lower energy consumption.