Integrated membrane filtration for the recovery of antioxidants from Lavender spent plant material

The present study explores the possibility of combining membrane concentration, spray drying, and low-temperature precipitation into a single process for the valorization of spent lavender biomass as a source of ingredients rich in antioxidants. Lavender spent plant material was subjected to solid–liquid extraction, and the obtained hydroalcoholic extracts were further concentrated using a dead-end membrane filtration cell (METcell) with a polyamide–urea thin-film composite X201 membrane. The feed and the obtained retentate were subsequently spray dried using a Nano Spray Dryer B-90 (BÜCHI) under different temperature conditions (120 °C and 85 °C). Low-temperature precipitation was further applied for the retentate. An eight-fold concentration of the extracts was achieved, with membrane rejection coefficients of 100% for antioxidant activity and 98.5% for dry solids content. The permeate flux ranged from 2.25 to 0.201 L·m<sup>−2</sup>·h<sup>−1</sup>. Spray drying at a lower inlet temperature resulted in minimal losses for antioxidant activity (below 6%). The low-temperature storage of the membrane concentrate led to clear phase separation, allowing for the recovery of a precipitated fraction. The obtained results demonstrate that the integrated approach may support the sustainable and scalable valorization of lavender by-products.

DDC Class

660: Chemistry; Chemical Engineering

660.6: Biotechnology

Lizenz

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Publication version

publishedVersion

Name

membranes-16-00076.pdf

Size

1.57 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Options

Integrated membrane filtration for the recovery of antioxidants from Lavender spent plant material