Separation of rosmarinic acid by facilitated pertraction

• First report on the separation of rosmarinic acid by facilitated pertraction.
• Influences of pH-gradient, carrier concentration, and mixing intensity were studied.
• Effect of 1-octanol addition was described by the amplification factors.

Rosmarinic acid has been separated by facilitated pertraction with D2EHPA dissolved in dichloromethane. The pertraction has been carried out in presence of 1-octanol, added into the liquid membrane. The addition of the alcohol led to the increase for more than twice the rosmarinic acid initial and final mass flows, this effect being directly related to the process variables (pH-gradient between the aqueous phases, carrier and alcohol concentrations inside the membrane phase, mixing intensity). But, the influence of 1-octanol on the transport capacity of the pertraction system was negative, its addition inducing the accumulation of rosmarinic into the liquid membrane. Due to this effect, the reevaluation and optimization of the reextraction process from the membrane phase to the stripping are required.