Valorization of handmade argan press cake by supercritical CO2 extraction

The capability of supercritical CO2 to extract edible oil from handmade Argan press cake was investigated. The aim is to enable Moroccan cooperatives to improve their economic situation by valuing the handmade argan press cake, which is nowadays considered as a waste, applying a clean extraction process. Extraction experiments were conducted at 300 and 400 bar, 333 K and 0.14 kg/h on dried biomass. The fatty acids and tocopherols compositions of the extracted oil were found similar to previous studies and correspond to a commercial edible oil. The air flow dried biomass exhibits a higher extraction yield compared to the freeze-dried biomass. A pressure of 300 bar seems to be sufficient to allow the extraction of oil with a satisfactory extraction kinetic.