Reactive Separation of Vanillic Acid Using Tri-n-butyl Phosphate

Abstract

The aim of this study was to extract vanillic acid from an aqueous solution through reactive extraction. Vanillic acid is utilized in the food and beverage industry as a flavoring agent. Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TBP) served as the reactive extractant, while natural oils like sesame oil and groundnut oil acted as diluents. The recovery of vanillic acid from fermentation broth or wastewater poses challenges due to toxicity concerns. However, employing natural solvents in the extraction process can significantly reduce toxicity. Various parameters, such as extraction efficiency, loading ratio, distribution coefficient, and equilibrium complexation constant, were determined to evaluate the extent of extraction achieved. Groundnut oil emerged as more effective than sesame oil as a diluent, exhibiting a maximum distribution coefficient of 13.31 and an extraction efficiency of 93.01 % at 5.27 mmol L–1 of acid concentration and 40 % v/v of TBP. Additionally, the number of theoretical stages required for the reactive extraction system was calculated, resulting in five stages for groundnut oil and four stages for sesame oil.