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Separations
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Green Separation and Purification Technology
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Green Separation and Purification Technology

A special issue of Separations (ISSN 2297-8739). This special issue belongs to the section "Separation Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 5506

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Shun Yao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 650061, China
Interests: green chemistry; applied chemistry; pharmaceutics; natural products; polymers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There is significant interest from the scientific community and increasing industrial demand to research and develop green separation technologies. The road toward sustainable and cleaner strategies depends on the development and application of methods, solvents, and materials that have fewer risks to the environment and health and consume less energy. This Special Issue aims to provide some instructive reviews and research in the following areas: green chemistry, separation science, analytical tests, chemical engineering, environmental science, natural chemicals, pharmaceutical chemistry, agricultural products, functional foods, traditional herbs, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, biorefinery, etc.

This Special Issue, “Green Separation and Purification Technology”, seeks to cover the latest developments in friendly separation mediums, strategies, processes and technologies. The topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Applications of new green solvents;
  • New solvent-free technologies;
  • Green extraction and purification techniques;
  • Combined and hybrid extraction/enrichment/purification/post-treatment techniques;
  • Green sampling and pre-treatment techniques;
  • Life cycle assessment, energy consumption and comprehensive evaluation for green separation strategies;
  • Challenges and bottlenecks in the current development of green separation technologies;
  • Innovative materials for green separation techniques.

Prof. Dr. Shun Yao
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Separations is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 3734 KiB  
Article
Strengthened Effect of Surface-Active Ionic Liquids on Curcumin Solubility and Extraction Performance of Curcuminoids
by Dan Li, Yuxin Qin, Jingxing Li, Subhan Mahmood, Jianqin Shi, Yu Cao and Shun Yao
Separations 2025, 12(2), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations12020029 - 26 Jan 2025
Viewed by 462
Abstract
As a kind of bioactive component in the rhizome of natural plant Curcuma longa L. (turmeric), curcumin is almost insoluble in water at neutral and acidic pH, which limits its further utilization and development. At the same time, traditional extraction and separation processes [...] Read more.
As a kind of bioactive component in the rhizome of natural plant Curcuma longa L. (turmeric), curcumin is almost insoluble in water at neutral and acidic pH, which limits its further utilization and development. At the same time, traditional extraction and separation processes typically require the use of a large number of organic solvents. Ionic liquids (ILs) are organic molten salts with melting points below 100 °C. When an ionic liquid exists in a liquid state at or near room temperature, it is referred to as a room-temperature ionic liquid (RTIL). They have a temperature range, good physical and chemical stability, and good structural designability. They have a strong solubilization enhancement effect for many organic compounds. This study first explored the molecular forms of curcumin in ionic liquid aqueous solutions and the intermolecular interactions between curcumin and ionic liquids using spectral analysis and computational chemistry methods; furthermore, using an ionic liquid aqueous solution as an extraction agent, curcumin-like substances (curcuminoids) were extracted from turmeric powders under ultrasound assisted conditions, revealing the relationship between the structure of the ionic liquid and the extraction efficiency. After that, a kinetic study was conducted for the extraction of curcuminoids from turmeric powders, using second-order kinetics fitting to obtain the rate constant and initial extraction rate during the extraction process. Finally, the comparison with a ComplexGAPI tool and antioxidant experiment was performed on the extraction by using ionic liquids and traditional solvent. The full results can provide reference for the design of IL extractants and their application for natural products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Separation and Purification Technology)
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19 pages, 3282 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Plasma Pretreatment on the Flotation of Lithium Aluminate and Gehlenite Using Light-Switchable Collectors
by Ali Zgheib, Maximilian Hans Fischer, Stéphanie Mireille Tsanang, Iliass El Hraoui, Shukang Zhang, Annett Wollmann, Alfred P. Weber, Ursula E. A. Fittschen, Thomas Schirmer and Andreas Schmidt
Separations 2024, 11(12), 362; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11120362 - 23 Dec 2024
Viewed by 759
Abstract
The pyridinium phenolate punicine is a switchable molecule from Punica granatum. Depending on the pH, punicine exists as a cation, neutral molecule, anion, or dianion. In addition, punicine reacts to light, under the influence of which it forms radical species. We report [...] Read more.
The pyridinium phenolate punicine is a switchable molecule from Punica granatum. Depending on the pH, punicine exists as a cation, neutral molecule, anion, or dianion. In addition, punicine reacts to light, under the influence of which it forms radical species. We report on three punicine derivatives that possess an adamantyl, 2-methylnonyl, or heptadecyl substituent and on their performance in the flotation of lithium aluminate, an engineered artificial mineral (EnAM) for the recycling of lithium, e.g., from lithium-ion batteries. By optimizing the parameters: pH and light conditions (daylight, darkness), recovery rates of 92% of LiAlO2 are achieved. In all cases, the flotation of the gangue material gehlenite (Ca2Al[AlSiO7]) is suppressed. IR, the contact angle, zeta potential measurements, TG-MS, and PXRD confirm that the punicines interact with the surface of LiAlO2, which is covered by LiAl2(OH)7 after contact to water, resulting in a hydrophobization of the particle. The plasma pretreatment of the lithium aluminate has a significant influence on the flotation results and increases the recovery rates of lithium aluminate in blank tests by 58%. The oxidative plasma leads to a partial dehydratisation of the LiAl2(OH)7 and thus to a hydrophobization of the particles, while a reductive plasma causes a more hydrophilic particle surface. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Separation and Purification Technology)
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13 pages, 1988 KiB  
Article
Extraction and Counter-Current Separation of Phenylpropanoid Glycosides from Pedicularis oederi Vahl by Deep Eutectic Solvent
by Yao Wang, Jun Dai, Xiaoting Zhang, Yuhan Wang, Fangfang He, Lu Liang, Duojie Longzhu and Denglang Zou
Separations 2024, 11(11), 323; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11110323 - 8 Nov 2024
Viewed by 945
Abstract
Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are mixtures of organic compounds displaying excellent solvent properties while keeping an ecofriendly character. In this study, DESs have been applied to the extraction of phenylpropanoid glycosides from Pedicularis oederi Vahl, successively separated by means of counter-current chromatography. Firstly, [...] Read more.
Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are mixtures of organic compounds displaying excellent solvent properties while keeping an ecofriendly character. In this study, DESs have been applied to the extraction of phenylpropanoid glycosides from Pedicularis oederi Vahl, successively separated by means of counter-current chromatography. Firstly, the ultrasonic-assisted extraction conditions were optimized by response surface methodology, and the results showed phenylpropanoid glycosides could be well extracted under the optimized extraction conditions with deep eutectic solvents. Then, the sample was separated by counter-current chromatography using ethyl acetate/aqueous solution of choline chloride and glycerol (6:6, v/v) as the solvent system. In about 360 min, four phenylpropanoid glycosides, including 31.6 mg of echinacoside, 65.3 mg of Jionoside A1, 28.9 mg of Forsythoside B, 74.1 mg of verbascoside, and 21.2 mg of kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside were obtained from about 900 mg of the sample. It revealed deep eutectic solvents could be well employed as a green solvent for the extraction and counter-current separation of natural products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Separation and Purification Technology)
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15 pages, 2136 KiB  
Article
Development, Validation, and Greenness Assessment of Eco-Friendly Analytical Methods for the Determination of Abiraterone Acetate in Pure Form and Pharmaceutical Formulations
by Erten Akbel
Separations 2024, 11(10), 290; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11100290 - 11 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1377
Abstract
This study presents the development and validation of environmentally friendly analytical methods for quantifying Abiraterone Acetate (AA) in both its pure form and commercial pharmaceutical formulations. An optimized High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was developed using an Agilent Extend C18 column (250 mm [...] Read more.
This study presents the development and validation of environmentally friendly analytical methods for quantifying Abiraterone Acetate (AA) in both its pure form and commercial pharmaceutical formulations. An optimized High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was developed using an Agilent Extend C18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) at 25 °C. The mobile phase consisted of formic acid and ethanol in isocratic mode, with a flow rate of 1.0 mL min−1, and detection was performed at 253 nm. The spectrophotometric method involved a comprehensive evaluation of AA’s spectral properties in various solvents, with ultrapure water providing the most suitable spectra for analysis at 253 nm. Both methods were validated according to ICH guidelines, demonstrating selectivity, linearity, accuracy, precision, detection and quantification limits, and robustness, with correlation coefficients exceeding 0.999 across the 5–30 μg mL−1 concentration range. Comparative statistical analysis using Student’s t-test and Fisher’s F-test showed no significant differences between the two methods. The environmental impact of both methods was assessed using AGREE and GAPI software, confirming their sustainability. These validated methods offer reliable and eco-friendly approaches for the quantitative analysis of AA in tablet formulations, promoting safer and greener laboratory practices in pharmaceutical analysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Separation and Purification Technology)
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Review

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17 pages, 6946 KiB  
Review
Utilization and Separation of Flavonoids in the Food and Medicine Industry: Current Status and Perspectives
by Jianan Wang, Bin Wang, Chunli Chen, Jingzhou Dong and Huafeng Zhang
Separations 2024, 11(12), 349; https://doi.org/10.3390/separations11120349 - 11 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1183
Abstract
Flavonoids are the most abundant functional compounds distributed in higher plants, and are used as important dietary components for human health protection. The development of natural flavonoids, such as functional food or medicinal food, has received extensive attention in recent years. The extraction, [...] Read more.
Flavonoids are the most abundant functional compounds distributed in higher plants, and are used as important dietary components for human health protection. The development of natural flavonoids, such as functional food or medicinal food, has received extensive attention in recent years. The extraction, separation, and quantitation of flavonoids are the key techniques in the utilization of flavonoid resources. The traditional methods for flavonoid extraction and separation always used toxic solvents, which produce toxic residues and pollute the environment. Based on an analysis of the literature on flavonoid resources, the utilization, separation, quantitation, and green separation techniques of flavonoids were summarized. First, extraction by hot water or hot ethanol, assisted by pressurization and microwave-ultrasonication, then concentration and precipitation of flavonoids by cool water or cool ethanol or ethanol/water in specific ratios. This method could obtain over 85% purity in the first cycle and over 95% purity after three precipitation cycles in the separation of the most commonly used flavonoids, such as dihydromyricetin, rutin, and quercetin. In conclusion, flavonoids showed great prospects in human health protection and disease treatment. Chemical structure-based separation using the water–ethanol methods and assisted with microwave-ultrasonication, pressurization, and temperature regulation proved to be efficient and environmentally friendly, showing great potential for the flavonoid industry. These “green” processing techniques and mechanisms deserve further research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Green Separation and Purification Technology)
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