Selective aqueous extraction of organics coupled with trapping by membrane separation

Claim 2

In an organic/aqueous extraction process for the extraction of an organic solute from an organic solvent or solvent mixture with an aqueous-based extractant, the improvement comprising continuously recycling said aqueous-based extractant through a membrane separation process that selectively removes said organic solute from said aqueous-based extractant, said membrane separation process being selected from at least one of reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, membrane distillation, pervaporation, membrane contactor and supported-liquid membrane.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 wherein said aqueous-based extractant is from a membrane separation process in which organic-solute-poor water permeates the membrane.

Claim 4

The process of claim 2 wherein said membrane separation process is selected from at least one of reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, ultrafiltration, and membrane distillation.

Claim 5

The process of claim 1 wherein said aqueous-based extractant is from a membrane separation process in which organic-solute-poor water is recovered as the retentate to said membrane separation process.

Claim 6

The process of claim 4 wherein said membrane separation process is selected from at least one of pervaporation, membrane contactor, and supported-liquid membrane.

Claim 7

The process of claim 1 wherein said organic/aqueous extraction process is selected from the processes of conventional liquid extraction, ultrafiltration, membrane contactors, supported-liquid membranes, and combinations thereof.

Claim 8

The process of claim 1 wherein said organic/aqueous extraction process comprises conventional liquid extraction.

Claim 9

The process of claim 7 wherein said membrane separation process comprises reverse osmosis.

Claim 10

The process of claim 7 wherein said membrane separation process comprises a membrane contactor.

Claim 11

The process of claim 7 wherein said membrane separation process comprises membrane distillation.

Claim 12

The process of claim 7 wherein said membrane separation process comprises nanofiltration.

Claim 13

The process of claim 7 wherein said membrane separation process comprises ultrafiltration.

Claim 14

The process of claim 7 wherein said membrane separation process comprises pervaporation.

Claim 15

The process of claim 1 wherein said organic/aqueous extraction process comprises ultrafiltration.

Claim 16

The process of claim 14 wherein said membrane separation process comprises reverse osmosis.

Claim 17

The process of claim 15 wherein said membrane separation process additionally comprises a membrane contactor.

Claim 18

The process of claim 14 wherein said membrane separation process comprises pervaporation.

Claim 19

The process of claim 14 wherein said membrane separation process comprises a membrane contactor.

Claim 20

The process of claim 14 wherein said membrane separation process comprises membrane distillation.

Claim 21

The process of claim 14 wherein said membrane separation process comprises nanofiltration.

Claim 22

The process of claim 1 wherein said organic/aqueous extraction process comprises a membrane contactor.

Claim 23

The process of claim 21 wherein said membrane separation process comprises reverse osmosis.

Claim 24

The process of claim 22 wherein said organic solute comprises R-Norbornenol.

Claim 25

The process of claim 22 wherein said organic solute comprises phenethyl alcohol.

Claim 26

The process of claim 21 wherein said membrane separation process comprises pervaporation.

Claim 27

The process of claim 25 wherein said organic solute comprises para-xylene.

Claim 28

The process of claim 21 wherein said membrane separation process comprises a membrane contactor.

Claim 29

The process of claim 21 wherein said organic solute comprises orange oil oxygenates.

Claim 30

The process of claim 21 wherein said membrane separation process comprises a supported-liquid membrane.

Claim 31

The process of claim 21 wherein said membrane separation process comprises membrane distillation.

Claim 32

The process of claim 21 wherein said membrane separation process comprises nanofiltration.

Claim 33

The process of claim 1 wherein said organic/aqueous extraction process comprises a supported-liquid membrane.

Claim 34

The process of claim 32 wherein said membrane separation process comprises reverse osmosis.

Claim 35

The process of claim 33 wherein said organic solute comprises the dipeptide N-acyl-beta-alkyl ester-L-Asp-L-Phe-alkyl ester.

Claim 36

The process of claim 32 wherein said membrane separation process comprises pervaporation.

Claim 37

The process of claim 32 wherein said membrane separation process comprises a membrane contactor.

Claim 38

The process of claim 32 wherein said membrane separation process comprises membrane distillation.

Claim 39

The process of claim 32 wherein said membrane separation process comprises nanofiltration.

Claim 40

The process of claim 1 wherein said organic/aqueous extraction process comprises two membrane contactors.

Claim 41

The process of claim 39 wherein said membrane separation process comprises reverse osmosis.

Claim 42

The process of claim 40 wherein said organic solute comprises the dipeptide N-acyl-beta-alkyl ester-L-Asp-L-Phe-alkyl ester.

Claim 43

The process of claim 40 wherein said organic solute comprises citric acid.

Claim 44

The process of claim 39 wherein said membrane separation process comprises pervaporation.

Claim 45

The process of claim 39 wherein said membrane separation process comprises membrane distillation.

Claim 46

A continuous pressure-driven membrane separation process for the selective extraction of essential oil oxygenates from essential oils comprising contacting a feed stream comprising water and essential oil with an ultrafiltration membrane, collecting an oxygenates-rich permeate from said ultrafiltration membrane and combining said permeate with the retentates from a membrane contactor and from a reverse osmosis membrane to form a combined feed to said reverse osmosis membrane, contacting said combined feed with said reverse osmosis membrane, recycling an oxygenates-poor aqueous permeate from said reverse osmosis membrane to said feed stream, supplying a portion of said retentate from said reverse osmosis membrane as a membrane contactor feed to said membrane contactor, contacting said membrane contactor feed with said membrane contactor, and recovering concentrated essential oil oxygenates from the permeate of said membrane contactor.

Claim 47

A continuous pressure-driven membrane separation process for the selective extraction of essential oil oxygenates from essential oils comprising contacting a feed stream comprising water and essential oil with an ultrafiltration membrane, collecting an oxygenates-rich permeate from said ultrafiltration membrane and combining said permeate with the retentates from a membrane contactor and from a reverse osmosis membrane to form a combined feed to said reverse osmosis membrane, contacting said combined feed with said reverse osmosis membrane, recycling an oxygenates-poor aqueous permeate from said reverse osmosis membrane to said feed stream, supplying a portion of said retentate from said reverse osmosis membrane as a membrane contactor feed to said membrane contactor, contacting said membrane contactor feed with said membrane contactor, and recovering concentrated essential oil oxygenates from the permeate of said membrane contactor.

Claim 48

A continuous pressure-driven membrane separation process for the selective extraction of essential oil oxygenates from essential oils comprising contacting a feed stream comprising an essential oil with one side of a first membrane contactor, contacting the other side of said first membrane contactor with water, collecting an oxygenates-rich permeate from said first membrane contactor and combining said permeate with the retentates from a second membrane contactor and a reverse osmosis membrane to form a combined feed to said reverse osmosis membrane, contacting said combined feed with said reverse osmosis membrane, recycling an oxygenates-poor aqueous permeate from said reverse osmosis membrane to said feed stream, supplying a portion of said retentate from said reverse osmosis membrane as a feed to said second membrane contactor, contacting said second membrane contactor feed with said second membrane contactor, and recovering concentrated essential oil oxygenates from the permeate of said second membrane contactor.

Claim 49

A continuous pressure-driven membrane separation process for the selective extraction of essential oil oxygenates from essential oils comprising contacting a feed stream comprising an essential oil with one side of a first membrane contactor, contacting the other side of said first membrane contactor with water, collecting an oxygenates-rich permeate from said first membrane contactor and combining said permeate with the retentates from a second membrane contactor and a reverse osmosis membrane to form a combined feed to said reverse osmosis membrane, contacting said combined feed with said reverse osmosis membrane, recycling an oxygenates-poor aqueous permeate from said reverse osmosis membrane to said feed stream, supplying a portion of said retentate from said reverse osmosis membrane as a feed to said second membrane contactor, contacting said second membrane contactor feed with said second membrane contactor, and recovering concentrated essential oil oxygenates from the permeate of said second membrane contactor.

Claim 50

A continuous pressure-driven membrane separation process for the selective extraction of essential oil oxygenates from essential oils comprising contacting a feed stream comprising an essential oil with one side of a membrane contactor, contacting the other side of said membrane contactor with an aqueous strip stream, collecting an oxygenates-rich permeate from said membrane contactor, contacting said oxygenates-rich permeate with a pervaporation membrane, recovering concentrated essential oil oxygenates from the permeate of said pervaporation membrane, and continuously recycling the aqueous retentate of said pervaporation membrane as said aqueous strip stream.

Claim 51

A continuous pressure-driven membrane separation process for the selective extraction of essential oil oxygenates from essential oils comprising contacting a feed stream comprising an essential oil with one side of a membrane contactor, contacting the other side of said membrane contactor with an aqueous strip stream, collecting an oxygenates-rich permeate from said membrane contactor, contacting said oxygenates-rich permeate with a pervaporation membrane, recovering concentrated essential oil oxygenates from the permeate of said pervaporation membrane, and continuously recycling the aqueous retentate of said pervaporation membrane as said aqueous strip stream.

Claim 52

The process of claim 45, 46 or 47 wherein said oxygenates are selected from alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and esters.

Claim 53

The process of claim 45, 46 or 47 wherein said essential oil is selected from cold-pressed and distilled citrus oil.

Claim 54

The process of claim 49 wherein said citrus oil is selected from orange oil, lemon oil, lime oil and grapefruit oil.

Claim 55

An oxygenates-enriched essential oil composition produced by the process of claim 45, 46 or 47.