Electrically enhanced extraction of penicillin G into dichloromethane

The application of electrically enhanced liquid-liquid extraction techniques to the recovery and purification of penicillin G from aqueous solutions and from untreated mycelial culture broth is described. Experiments at laboratory scale have shown that extraction rates into dichloromethane at pH 4.0 may be increased by factors of up to five-fold by electrostatically spraying penicillin G solutions into a continuum of solvent held in electrical tension. The experimental studies revealed that in small spray column contactors, electrostatic spray conditions, once initiated at nozzle voltages in excess of 10 kV, could be sustained at nozzle voltages as little as 4 kV. The results demonstrate the potential of this technique as an alternative to mechanically augmented liquid-liquid contact for the intensification of whole broth extraction processes.