Supercritical water can be used. it has hexane like properties but hard to produce or mantaine

supercritical water, of course, is no organic solvent. Same applies for supercritical CO2, however, this may be easier to handle and can easily removed after extraction.

Depending on the substance/matrix and the further application of the substance there is a vast number of options, from biodiesel to ionic liquids.

Dear Wasiu,

Please have a look at C. Estévez, "Sustainable Solutions - Green Solvents for Chemistry": in R. Höfer, ed., Sustainable Solutions for Modern Economies, DOI: 10.1039/9781847552686, RSC Publ., Cambridge (2009). Eventually the products and the literature references mentioned there are useful for you. Green solvents are supplied inter alia by COGNIS, now part of BASF, and by Rhodia, now part of Solvay.

Best regards

Rainer

Thanks Titus and Anand. Supercritical water or CO2 are not options for me as i'd prefer something at ambient temperature and pressure.

Titus, can you tell me a little more about the solvents you mentioned. I am trying to extract PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) from activated carbon.

Thanks.

Dear Wasiu,

I have no practical experience with PFOS and their desorption from activated carbon. However, I would suspect i-propanol to have higher extraction efficiency than hexane. Concentrated surfactant solutions like alkyl benzene sulfonate or nonionic surfactant solutions might also work.

Kind regards

T. Sobisch

I suggest citrosolv C that is a mixture of terphenes, full natural and at environment temperature; it has a lemon smell.

We use liquefied dimethyl ether (DME). DME is the simplest ether, but no peroxide formation unlike other ether. High affinity to oily compositions, and partial miscibility to with water; ii. Low boiling point and stability at normal temperatures; and iii. Non-toxicity and biodegradability.

doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2010.10.057

The European Food Safety Authority approved DME as a safe extraction solvent in production of foodstuffs and food ingredients.

doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2009.984

Best regards

Hideki

You could use the aqueous solution of surfactant see R. A. Khalil and S. A. Hussain, Surfactant Enhanced Reaction Between Benzocaine and p-Dimethylamenobenzaldehyde: Kinetic Study and Its Analytical Application, The Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering A-Science, 35(2A), 55-66 (2010).

I love this discussion. It shows scientists can be generous, too!

I have been using mainly ethyl acetate and diethylether in my extractions of organic compounds (but unfortunately, not PFOS from activated carbon) and I found them to be efficient, among other things.The ether is much better because it readily evaporates.