Influence of Microwave and Ultrasound pretreatment on Solvent Extraction of Bio-components from Walnut (Julgans regia L.) Shells

Authors

  • Mahesh Ganesapillai
    Affiliation
    Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Division, VIT University, India
  • Melvin Mathew
    Affiliation
    Chemical Engineering Division, SEMTE, Ira A. Fulton Schools for Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
  • Aruna Singh
    Affiliation
    Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering Division, VIT University, India
  • Prithvi Simha
    Affiliation
    Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Central European University, Budapest, Hungary; School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, UK.
https://doi.org/10.3311/PPch.8480

Abstract

Walnut (Julgans regia L.) shells, an agro-forestry waste, are a rich source of phytochemicals with anti-oxidative and medicinal properties. Whilst recent research efforts focus on waste valorization, the present investigation demonstrates a process to extract and characterize bio-components from physically pretreated walnut shells. Pretreatment was undertaken using microwave irradiation and ultra-sonication with two different solvents (methanol and acetone). The extract obtained was optimized using Response Surface Methodology (RSM). Further, the bio-components in the extract were identified using GCMS and FTIR analyses. Through the experimental runs, it was observed that pretreatment enhanced the total extract yield from the process relative to conventional Soxhlet extraction. As a method of pretreatment, microwave irradiation was found to suit the extraction better than ultra-sonication. In addition, acetone performed better as a solvent than methanol in the bio-components recovery. Relative to conventional Soxhlet extraction, microwave pretreatment allowed for enhanced separation by 4.06 folds for methanol and 5.25 for acetone. The yield was found to be the highest (46 mg/g) while using acetone, when pretreated with microwaves at 180 W for 4 min.

Keywords:

Walnut, Microwave Irradiation, Bioactive compounds, Soxhlet Extraction

Citation data from Crossref and Scopus

Published Online

2015-12-16

How to Cite

Ganesapillai, M., Mathew, M., Singh, A., Simha, P. “Influence of Microwave and Ultrasound pretreatment on Solvent Extraction of Bio-components from Walnut (Julgans regia L.) Shells”, Periodica Polytechnica Chemical Engineering, 60(1), pp. 40–48, 2016. https://doi.org/10.3311/PPch.8480

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Articles