Theoretical Analysis of the Viability of Isopropanol-Cyclohexane Solvent Systems for Biomatter Lipid Extraction

A theoretical alternative solvent combination for the extraction of lipids from biomatter is the Water, Isopropanol, and Cyclohexane instead of the more common combination used in the Bligh and Dyer Method (Water, Methanol, and Chloroform). While the Bligh and Dyer Method is considered effective, toxicological concerns have been raised over its use of both Chloroform and Methanol. The alternative method utilizes solvents that do not pose as high as a toxicological concern while theoretically maintaining a similar level of practical viability. The alternative method’s extraction efficacy was judged against the performance of the Bligh and Dyer method using the simulation software Aspen Plus V10®. The equilibrium data generated from Aspen Plus V10® was then graphed into tertiary diagrams for data analysis using the graphing software SigmaPlot.