Device and method for solubilizing, separating, removing and reacting carboxylic acids in oils, fats, aqueous or organic solutions by means of micro-or nanoemulsification

Abstract

The present invention is directed to solubilizing compounds, a device and a method for solubilizing and removing carboxylic acids and especially fatty acids from oils, fats, aqueous emulsion, aqueous media and organic solutions. Devices utilizing the inventive method shall be used for separating carboxylic acids from oils, fats, aqueous emulsion, lipophilic media or organic solutions, respectively by preparing an aqueous micro- or nanoemulsion of the carboxylic acids especially the fatty acids and the solubilizing compound which contains at least one amidino and/or gianidino group. Solubilization effects of solubilizing compounds combined with the inventive use of separation methods for carboxylic acids can be used to treat persons in need of removal of fatty acids or analyze carboxylic acids from blood or process other solutions in food, pharmacy, chemistry, bio fuel industry or other industrial processings.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device for solubilizing and separating carboxylic acids with a solubilizing compound in an aqueous or organic medium for use in medical therapy, medical analytics, food analytics, food processing, oil processing, oil analytics, fuel processing, chemical and pharmacologica or pharmaceutical processings, analytics in pharmaceutical or chemical industry or science, removal of carboxylic acids from sewage from private, commercial or industrial cleanings, removal of carboxylic acids from bioreactor processes, cleanings of oily solid matters organogelation or nanoemulsification of carboxylic acids, wherein said solubilizing compound contains at least one amidino group and/or at least one guanidino group and wherein the solubilizing compound has a partition coefficient between n-octanol and water of K OW <6.30, and wherein the device is comprising
 i) a first chamber for reacting the carboxylic acid-containing aqueous or organic medium with the solubilizing compound of general formula (I) or (II);   ii) a second chamber for receiving the solubilized carboxylic acids;   iii) a separation panel between said first chamber and said second chamber comprising a separation membrane, a tube, or hollow capillary assembly; and   iv) means for conducting said reactive solution from said first chamber to said second chamber through said separation panel by applying a concentration gradient, a thermic gradient, a physico-chemical gradient, a pneumatic gradient, an electric gradient or a combination thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The device according to  claim 1 , comprising
 a) a first chamber for reacting the carboxylic acid-containing aqueous medium with the solubilizing compound, having a first inlet for said carboxylic acid-containing aqueous medium;   b) a container for said solubilizing compound, having a second inlet for filling said container with said solubilizing compound and being connected to said first chamber via a third inlet;   c) a second chamber for receiving the dialysed/filtrated carboxylic acid containing solution;   d) a separation panel between said first chamber and said second chamber comprising a separation membrane or a hollow capillaries assembly; and   e) means for conducting said reactive solution from said first chamber to said second chamber through said separation panel by applying a concentration gradient, a thermic gradient, an electrical gradient, a physico-chemical gradient, or combinations thereof.   
     
     
         3 . The device according to  claim 1 , comprising
 a) a first container for receiving the fatty acid-containing aqueous solution containing carboxylic acids being continuously poured into the container from a feed stream;   b) means for adding a solubilising compound solution to the first container and mixing said solution with the fatty acid-containing aqueous solution by means of an appropriate mixing system;   c) a separation membrane between the first container and a second container comprising a separation membrane or a hollow tube or capillaries assembly;   d) means for conducting the reactive solution from the first container to a second container by applying a pneumatic gradient, an electric gradient by means of an electrical field between the cathode and the anode or a concentration gradient, a chemical gradient, or combinations thereof;   e) a second container;   f) means for removing the fatty acid-solubilizing compound associates from the filtrate solution by means of removing the filtrate through convection of an appropriate acceptor solution being fed through an inlet and allowed to flow off through an outlet; and   g) means of removing the purified solution of the first container through an outlet.   
     
     
         4 . The device according to  claim 1 , comprising
 a) a first container for receiving the fatty acid-containing aqueous solution and an aqueous solubilising compound solution after mixing both liquids by means of an appropriate mixing system;   b) a separation membrane between the first container and a second container comprising a separation membrane or a hollow capillaries assembly optionally having the solubilising compound immobilized at the separation membrane or inside the hollow tubes or the inner side of a spiral wound module;   c) means for conducting the reactive solution from the first container to a second container by applying a concentration gradient, a chemical gradient, a pneumatic gradient, an electric gradient or a combinations thereof; and   d) a second container receiving the reactive solution that is allowed to exit the chamber through an outlet;   e) a collection chamber which is sealed towards the first and the second container by a sealing plane, being traversed by the hollow tubes or the outer side of spiral wound modules; and   f) an inflow and an outflow of the collection chamber allowing perfusion of solutes through the collection chamber.   
     
     
         5 . The device according to  claim 1 , comprising
 a) a first container for receiving the organic matter/carboxylic acid-containing solution;   b) by means of suspending the solubilising compound solution from a storage container to said solution and mixing the solution of the first container with the solubilising compound solution using a mixing system;   c) means for conducting the mixed solution to a second container;   d) means for mixing the solution coming from the first container with a solution of CaCl 2  or another complexing material coming from a storage container while suspending to the second container by means of a pump that ensures complete mixing of the two solutions, thereby precipitating the carboxylic acids solubilized by the solubilising compound;   e) means for filtering the upstreaming purified organic solution in order to retain precipitated particles;   d) means for continuous mechanical removal of the precipitate;   e) means for transferring the precipitate to a third container and washing the transferred precipitate;   f) means for acidifying the precipitate in the third container;   g) means for phase separation in the third container by organic solvents;   h) means for removing the upper phase of the third container containing the separated carboxylic acids;   i) means for transferring the purified organic solution from the second container to another container; and   j) means for separating the solubilising compound by electrodialysis, dialysis, use of a cation-exchange resins or chelation of cations.   
     
     
         6 . The device according to  claim 1 , comprising
 a) a first chamber for reacting the carboxylic acid-containing aqueous medium with the solubilizing compound,   having a first inlet for said carboxylic acid-containing aqueous medium;   b) a container for said solubilizing compound, having a second inlet for filling said container with said solubilizing compound and being connected to said first chamber via a third inlet;   c) a second chamber for receiving the filtrated reactive solution;   d) a separation panel between said first chamber and said second chamber comprising a separation membrane or a hollow capillary assembly; and   e) means for conducting said reactive solution from said first chamber to said second chamber through said separation panel by applying a concentration gradient, a thermic gradient, an electric gradient, a physico-chemical gradient, or a combination thereof;
 optionally comprising 
   f) means for removing the associates of carboxylic acid and solubilizing compound from said filtrated solution by means of removing said filtrated solution through convection of an acceptor solution being fed through a fourth inlet into said second chamber and allowed to flow off through a first outlet out of said second chamber; and   g) means for removing the purified solution from said second chamber through a second outlet.   
     
     
         7 . The device according to  claim 6 , wherein the carboxylic acid-containing medium is blood or plasma from a subject in need thereof, or blood or plasma that is subject of purification, comprising parts a) to e) and additionally parts
 f) means for conducting blood or plasma from said subject or said purification procedure to said first chamber of a dialyser through said first inlet;   g) a pumping system and mixing system that allows feeding in the solubilizing compound from said container and mixing the solution;   h) support materials in said first chamber on which hydrolases are immobilized in order to liberate esterified fatty acids;   i) a first separation panel between said first chamber of a second dialyser and second chamber of a first dialyser, comprising a separation membrane or a hollow capillaries assembly;   j) means for conducting the carboxylic acid-containing solution from said first chamber of the first dialyser to a second chamber of the first dialyser by applying a concentration gradient, a chemical gradient, a pneumatic gradient, an electric gradient or a combination thereof;   k) means of pumping said filtrated solution from said second chamber to a first chamber of a second dialyser;   l) means for removing the associates of carboxylic acid and solubilizing compound passing through said second separation panel of the second dialyser by means of a tertiary circulation;   m) an acceptor solution storage container;   n) means for pumping the carboxylic acid acceptor solution from said acceptor solution storage container into said second chamber of the second dialyser;   o) means for removing the loaden carboxylic acid acceptor solution into a waste container;   p) means for reconducting the purified solution containing the solubilizing compound exiting said first chamber of the second dialyser to the inlet of said second chamber of the first dialyser; and   q) means for reconducting the reunited blood fractions exiting the first chamber of the first dialyser into the circulation of the subject.   
     
     
         8 . The device according to  claim 1 , wherein the carboxylic acid-containing medium is an oil or an emulsion (O/W, W/O) or a fluid/fluid system arising during pharmaceutical, chemical or industrial processing, comprising parts a) to g) and additionally parts
 h) means for mixing the carboxylic acid-containing solution and the solubilizing compound by means of heating, sonification, laminar or turbulent flow conditions in said first chamber;   i) means for transferring the mixed emulsion to said second chamber and means for phase separation by gravity or centrifugation;   j) a third chamber for receiving the purified oil from the second outlet of the second chamber;   k) a fourth chamber for receiving the associates of carboxylic acid and solubilizing compound from the first outlet of the second chamber;   l) a reservoir for a water-soluble acid;   m) means for suspending said water-soluble acid from said reservoir into said fourth chamber,   n) means for mixing the solution in said fourth chamber;   o) a fifth chamber suitable for phase separation by gravity for receiving the mixed solution from said fourth chamber;   p) means for conducting the mixed solution from said fourth chamber to said fifth chamber;   q) a sixth chamber for receiving the purified carboxylic acids from said fifth chamber;   r) means for conducting the purified carboxylic acids from said fifth chamber to said sixth chamber;   s) a seventh chamber for receiving the solution containing the solubilizing compound and the water-soluble acid gathering on the bottom of said fifth chamber;   t) means for conducting the solution containing the solubilizing compound and the water-soluble acid to a seventh chamber;   u) means for conducting the solution from the seventh chamber through an electrodialysis device or an ion exchanger for separating the solubilizing compound to a catholyte chamber and the added water-soluble acid to an anolyte chamber;   v) means for conducting the solution from the catholyte chamber to said container for the solubilizing compound;   w) means for conducting the solution from the anolyte chamber to the reservoir for the water-soluble acid;   x) means for conducting the purified retinate solution after electrodialysis to a hydrophilic filter membrane; and   y) means for re-using the aqueous filtrate; and
 optionally comprising 
   z) means for suspending and mixing an organic solvent to the solution of the seventh chamber.   
     
     
         9 . A device in form of a dialyser, wherein the solubilizing compound is immobilized to a separation membrane or to hollow capillaries, the dialyser comprises the following parts:
 a) means for conducting blood from the subject to a first cavity chamber;   b) a first cavity chamber   c) optionally immobilizing lipases used for hydrolyzing fatty acids and liberating fatty acids adsorbed or bonded to proteins, lipids or cell membranes;   d) a separation panel between the first cavity chamber and a second cavity chamber comprising a separation membrane or a hollow capillary assembly characterized in that the solubilizing compound is immobilized at the separation membrane or inside the hollow capillaries;   e) means for conducting the reactive solution from the first cavity chamber to a second cavity chamber by applying a pneumatic gradient, an electric gradient or a combination thereof;   f) a second cavity chamber for receiving the filtrate/dialysate;   g) a tank for reuniting the purified filtrate/dialysate from the second cavity chamber with the residual blood fraction from the first cavity chamber; and   h) means for reconducting the reunited blood fractions into the circulation of the subject.