Molecules· 2026Q1· Review
Deep Eutectic Solvents for Sustainable Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Biomass: Mechanistic Insights and Scale-Up Challenges
- 38citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
This review provides a mechanistic and process engineering perspective on using Deep Eutectic Solvents (DESs) for sustainable extraction of bioactive compounds from biomass, bridging lab research and industrial scale-up.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- DESs are promising green solvents for bioactive compound extraction due to tunable properties and low toxicity.
- Existing reviews often lack mechanistic and process engineering details crucial for industrial scale-up.
- This review links DES composition, physicochemical properties, and mass transfer to extraction efficiency and selectivity.
- Key parameters influencing extraction (viscosity, temperature, water content) and scale-up challenges (solvent recovery, process intensification) are discussed.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as promising green alternatives to conventional organic solvents for the extraction of bioactive compounds from natural matrices because of their tunable physicochemical properties, low toxicity, and environmental compatibility. However, most existing reviews primarily focus on application-based results, with limited mechanistic and process engineering interpretations necessary for industrial applications. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of DES-based extraction from the perspective of separation and process engineering, emphasizing the relationships between DES composition, physicochemical properties, mass-transfer behavior, and extraction performance. Key parameters, including viscosity, hydrogen bonding interactions, solvent-to-feed ratio, temperature, and water content, are critically evaluated in terms of their influence on extraction efficiency, selectivity, and scalability. Furthermore, solvent recovery, process intensification strategies, and industrial implementation challenges are discussed to bridge the gap between laboratory research and large-scale application. By integrating mechanistic insights with process-level considerations, this review provides a systematic framework for the rational design and optimization of DES-based extraction processes as sustainable and scalable-separation technologies.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Molecules, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Catalysis
CatalysisChemical Engineering