Research Projects

Curcumin, a phytochemical with significant pharmaceutical and nutraceutical value, is being isolated using organic solvent-resistant membrane separations after extraction from turmeric. The membrane process replaces the evaporation of solvent, resulting in a saturated curcumin solution (oleoresin) in the extracting solvent. This method avoids heating, resulting in higher curcumin quality and lower energy requirements for solvent recovery. Acetone is proposed as a replacement for ethanol, as it has higher permeability than ethanol for solvent-resistant membranes. The study investigates the thermodynamics, kinetics, and extraction efficiency of acetone extraction, and a scaled-up extraction system is modeled. Commercially-available solvent-resistant membranes, PM280 and NF080105, are investigated for their low molecular weight cut-off, ensuring high curcumin rejection. A model is developed for fouling and intra-membrane transport, and the hybrid extraction-membrane system is modeled at a system-scale. The bioactivity of curcumin obtained from the membrane system is evaluated, and the required cleaning frequency of the membrane system is determined. This approach could be advantageous for Indian companies, as the cost of isolated curcumin from raw turmeric is at least 30 times higher than raw turmeric.