A sustainable process for (−)-α-bisabolol extraction from Eremanthus erythropappus using supercritical CO2 and ethanol as co-solvent

• (−)-α-Bisabolol was obtained from E. erythropappus using supercritical CO2 and ethanol.
• Pressure, temperature, extraction time and co-solvent percentage were evaluated.
• Static and dynamic operational extraction modes were compared.
• Ethanol showed essential contribution for increasing extraction yields.
• The global yield was higher than the observed for steam distillation method.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (sc-CO2) extraction of Candeia (Eremanthus erythropappus) wood was studied using ethanol as a co-solvent. This tree has a great potential for producing (−)-α-bisabolol, an interesting compound for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries because of its properties. Using a Box–Behnken experimental design, the effects of pressure, temperature, extraction time and co-solvent percentage on the global yield were systematically evaluated. Static and dynamic extraction modes were compared. The use of ethanol as co-solvent proved itself fundamental for raising the extracted percentage of the desired compound. Both static and dynamic modes provided extracts with (−)-α-bisabolol as the major compound, although dynamic system provided the best extraction yields. In the best experimental condition, an extraction yield equal to 0.74% was achieved, which is much higher than the yields obtained using the standard steam distillation reported in the literature. Pressure showed greater influence in the obtained (−)-α-bisabolol percentage by the dynamic mode, while temperature was very important in the static system.

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