Separation Science
Summary
Separation science underpins the analysis, purification and processing of chemical and biological systems across pharmaceuticals, food, environment and energy. Core strategies exploit differences in molecular size, polarity, volatility or affinity to partition components between two phases—a mobile medium (gas, liquid or supercritical fluid) and a stationary support (solid or immobilised liquid). Advances in instrumentation, materials chemistry and modelling have driven miniaturisation, automation and “green” operation. Microfluidic formats now enable on-chip high-pressure control; supercritical fluids offer tunable solvency with minimal residues; designer solvents such as deep eutectic mixtures tailor selectivity and sustainability; and high-efficiency chromatographic media resolve complex mixtures with unprecedented speed. Coupled with spectroscopic or mass-spectrometric detectors, these techniques deliver real-time insights into reaction pathways, biomolecular interactions and trace contaminants. Looking ahead, integration of artificial-intelligence-guided method development, continuous-flow separations and recyclable media promises to meet the dual challenges of analytical throughput and environmental responsibility.
Research from Nature Portfolio
A thermally actuated microfluidic back-pressure regulator has been introduced to maintain elevated pressures in lab-on-a-chip systems without moving parts. By integrating thin-film heaters and sensors on a glass substrate, the device exploits the temperature dependence of fluid viscosity to achieve precise pressure control with nanolitre-scale dead volume and millibar-level reproducibility. Rapid response lends itself to supercritical and high-pressure separations in miniature systems.
A novel hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent, composed of medium-chain fatty acids in a defined molar ratio, has shown exceptional performance in extracting phenol from aqueous solutions. Liquid–liquid equilibrium studies across a range of temperatures revealed distribution coefficients up to 9.8 and separation factors exceeding 2 700. Thermodynamic modelling with NRTL and UNIQUAC reproduced tie-lines with root-mean-square deviations below 0.006, highlighting the predictive power of combining experimental data with predictive models for solvent design.
Research from all publishers
A comprehensive review in the Chemical Engineering Journal surveyed hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for water and wastewater treatment. Covering pharmaceuticals, pesticides, phenolics and metal ions, the work establishes guidelines for solvent stability, solubility control and regeneration. A matrix of water-stable formulations and protocols for solvent recovery underscore pathways to integrate these recyclable media into effluent-pre-treatment workflows.
In supercritical fluid extraction of plant matrices, pressurised propane was used to co-extract olive-leaf phenolics with seed oils in a single step. Antioxidant capacity of the enriched oils rose by up to 70 % and yields approached 25 % by weight. A Box–Behnken design optimised pressure, temperature and flow rate, while a modified mass-transfer model described extraction kinetics. This underscores the potential to valorise agricultural by-products via green separation processes.
Separation Science publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in separation science across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Chromatography: A family of techniques that separate solutes by partitioning between a mobile phase and a stationary phase under flow.
Partition coefficient: The ratio of a solute’s concentration in the mobile phase to its concentration in the stationary phase at equilibrium.
Supercritical fluid: A substance above its critical temperature and pressure, exhibiting combined gas- and liquid-like properties for tunable extraction.
Deep eutectic solvent: A low-melting mixture of hydrogen-bond donor and acceptor compounds, designed to replace volatile organic solvents in liquid–liquid extractions.
Microfluidic back pressure regulator: A chip-scale device that uses temperature-controlled viscosity changes to maintain set pressures in miniaturised flow systems.
Stationary phase: The fixed component in a separation column or bed that interacts with analytes to retard their flow relative to the mobile phase.
Mobile phase: The moving fluid (gas, liquid or supercritical) that carries analytes through the stationary phase in a separation process.
References
- Thermally controlled microfluidic back pressure regulator. Scientific Reports (2022).
- A green hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent for extraction of phenol from aqueous phase. Scientific Reports (2023).
- Hydrophobic (deep) eutectic solvents (HDESs) as extractants for removal of pollutants from water and wastewater – A review. Chemical Engineering Journal (2023).
- Simultaneous Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Olea europaea L. Leaves and Healthy Seed Oils Using Pressurized Propane. Foods (2023).
About these summaries
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