About the eco-extraction

How it works

Efficient plant oil extraction without petrochemicals

Plants offer a key route to improved sustainability. Their oils and proteins are used for everything from food to medicines and cosmetics – but the way that components are extracted makes a big difference to environmental impact.

Conventional extraction uses petrochemicals, but now there’s a better way. Our unique EcoXtract® process uses a 100% bio-based liquid, made from agricultural plant waste.

Getting extraction right
For many years, plant oil extraction has used hexane, a solvent made from non-renewable fossil resource, and one that has to be removed carefully because of its toxicity.

Alternative hot and cold-press methods suffer from low oil yields and damaged proteins. Supercritical CO2 extraction avoids toxic chemicals, but is expensive and difficult to scale up.

EcoXtract® changes the picture. Our innovative process delivers oil recovery greater than 98%, along with a 90% processing aid carbon footprint reduction, and a purer, healthier end product.

Bio-based and made from agricultural waste
  •  EcoXtract® is a 100% bio-based liquid, made from corn cob or sugar cane bagasse (or other hemicellulose-rich streams such as rice husks or almond shells)
  •  It does not compete with food
  • CO2 emissions are 10 times lower than petrochemical reference
  • EcoXtract®’s carbon organic origins are certified (BioPreferred®)
    •  

    Why switch?

    Better for people: Non-toxic EcoXtract® is 10x safer for consumers and 20x safer for production workers than conventional petrochemical extraction.

    Better for the planet: By using 100% bio-based and renewable resources, you make the most of natural ingredients and minimize waste.

    Better end results: EcoXtract® gives you thoroughly defatted, undamaged and stable oilseed meals, without unwanted shear stress and oil retention (seen with pressure-based extraction).

     

    Better for innovation: EcoXtract® is approved for COSMOS-certified cosmetics, so you can develop creative new ingredients, as such oils and oleoresins, for premium organic products.

    Easy to adopt

    The EcoXtract® process is similar to hexane-based extraction, with the same – or even better – defatting.

    1. Rinsed and crushed plant material is mixed with EcoXtract®, and allowed to infuse for about an hour.
    2. The plant oils pass into EcoXtract®.
    3. After 2-3 infusions, over 98% of oil is recovered (leaving less than 2% behind).
    4. Solids are filtered out.
    5. The oil and other useful molecules are separated from EcoXtract®by controlled heating at 71-80 °C.
    6. EcoXtract® is completely recovered via condensation to be used again,

    Useful oils are now ready for food or cosmetics, or for further refining. The plant waste residue can be used to produce proteins for food or feed, or composted. 

    EcoXtract® Lipocos and EcoXtract® Food Grade products suit both batch and continuous extraction, and can be used in conventional installations under ATEX  conditions after changing a few gaskets (compatibility chart available on request). Unlike supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, no expensive equipment or high pressures are needed. 

     

    Find out more

     

    Our team can quickly show you how EcoXtract® can improve your existing production process. Please contact us using the form below.