Conventional designs for multiphase liquid separation

The separation of valuable bioactive compounds such as carbohydrates, lipids and polysaccharides requires costly and time-consuming processes. This chapter covers the use of three-phase partitioning (TPP) system, which can reduce the cost and number of unit processes required to separate these compounds. The principles of TPP are studied, with the mechanism based on the precipitation of proteins from a mixture of t-butanol and ammonium sulfate solution. The main variables that affect the TPP process are the salt concentration, solvent concentration, temperature, and pH, with different processing conditions based on the target compound. Additional methods to improve the yield of TPP such as ultrasound and microwave assistance have also been proposed. The use of TPP can be applied to various compounds, such as oils, fats, and carbohydrates, which can be separated simultaneously from the same extract. The future prospects of TPP are promising, as it can be applied to many separation processes in industrial applications.