Method, system and/or apparatus for use of liquid or fluid carbon dioxide in extraction and/or solubilising source material and binding and/or elution with a molecularly imprinted polymer
This disclosure relates to a method/system for associating at least one target molecule with a molecularly imprinted polymer and/or a method/system of obtaining at least one target molecule from a source material. More particularly, this disclosure relates to use of liquid or fluid carbon dioxide in various steps related to use of molecularly imprinted polymers.
1 . A method of obtaining at least one target molecule from a source material, the method comprising:
a) bringing a source material into contact with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) to associate at least one target molecule present in the source material with the MIP, and,
b) eluting the at least one target molecule off the MIP using fluid carbon dioxide as an elution solvent,
wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is at a pressure of above about 7 MPa and a temperature of above about 31° C., or
wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is at a pressure of about 0.5 to 41 MPa and a temperature of about −50 to 30° C., and
wherein the source material is in a binding solvent when it is brought into contact with the MIP,
wherein the binding solvent comprises fluid carbon dioxide at a density that is lower than the density of the fluid carbon dioxide used as the elution solvent,
wherein the source material is solubilised in at least one solvent prior to being brought into contact with the MIP, and
wherein the at least one solvent comprises fluid carbon dioxide with a higher density than the fluid carbon dioxide used as the binding solvent.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is at a pressure of about 7 to 100 MPa and a temperature of about 31 to 70° C.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is at a pressure of about 5 to 30 MPa and temperature of about −10 to 25° C., or the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is at a pressure of about 7 to 15 MPa and temperature of about 10 to 25° C.
4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is supercritical carbon dioxide.
5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the supercritical carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent has a density of about 0.4 to 1.0 g/cm 3 .
6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is subcritical carbon dioxide.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the subcritical carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent has a density of about 0.1 to 1.1 g/cm 3 .
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the elution solvent further comprises at least one co-solvent.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the at least one co-solvent is selected from one or more of water, ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, acetonitrile, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran (THF); and/or wherein the at least one co-solvent is greater than 0% to about 75% volume of the fluid carbon dioxide elution solvent or greater than 0% to about 20% of mass flow of the fluid carbon dioxide elution solvent.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the source material is any one or more of a liquid, a wax, an oil, a solid and/or an extract of an animal, plant or synthetic source material.
11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the binding solvent comprises supercritical carbon dioxide; or wherein the binding solvent comprises subcritical carbon dioxide.
12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the binding solvent comprises fluid carbon dioxide and at least one co-solvent.
13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one co-solvent is selected from one or more of water, ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, acetonitrile, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran (THF); and/or wherein the at least one co-solvent is greater than 0% to about 75% of mass flow of the liquid or fluid carbon dioxide.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the source material is solubilised in fluid carbon dioxide and at least one co-solvent.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one co-solvent is selected from the group consisting of one or more of water, ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, acetonitrile, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran (THF).
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the source material is solubilised in supercritical carbon dioxide; or wherein the source material is solubilised in subcritical carbon dioxide.
17 . A system for obtaining at least one target molecule from a source material, the system comprising:
a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), and
a device for providing a flow of fluid carbon dioxide,
wherein the system is adapted to bring a source material into contact with a molecularly imprinted polymer to associate at least one target molecule present in the source material with the molecularly imprinted polymer, and
wherein the system is adapted to elute the target molecule that is associated with the molecularly imprinted polymer using the flow of fluid carbon dioxide as an elution solvent, and wherein the fluid carbon dioxide is at a pressure of above about 7 MPa and temperature of above about 31° C., or
wherein the system is adapted to elute the target molecule that is associated with the molecularly imprinted polymer using the flow of fluid carbon dioxide as an elution solvent, and wherein the fluid carbon dioxide is at a pressure of about 0.5 to 41 MPa and a temperature of about −50 to 30° C., and
wherein the source material is in a binding solvent when it is brought into contact with the MIP,
wherein the binding solvent comprises fluid carbon dioxide at a density that is lower than the density of the fluid carbon dioxide used as the elution solvent,
wherein the source material is solubilised in at least one solvent prior to being brought into contact with the MIP, and
wherein the at least one solvent comprises fluid carbon dioxide with a higher density than the fluid carbon dioxide used as the binding solvent.
18 . A method of obtaining at least one target molecule from a source material, the method comprising:
a) bringing a source material into contact with a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) to associate at least one target molecule present in the source material with the MIP, and
b) eluting the at least one target molecule off the MIP using fluid carbon dioxide as an elution solvent,
wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is at a pressure of above about 7 MPa and a temperature of above about 31° C., or
wherein the fluid carbon dioxide used as an elution solvent is at a pressure of about 0.5 to 41 MPa and a temperature of about −50 to 30° C., and
wherein the source material is in a binding solvent when it is brought into contact with the MIP and the binding solvent does not comprise fluid carbon dioxide.
19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the binding solvent is selected from any one or more of water, ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, isopropyl alcohol, acetonitrile, acetone, and THF.