Techno-economic evaluation of artemisinin extraction from Artemisia annua L. using supercritical carbon dioxide

Artemisia annua L. is the main artemisinin source, a sesquiterpene lactone used in the treatment against cancer and malaria, whose demand is high and the costs involving its production must be feasible. The main objective of the present work was to define a industrially and economically viable technology to obtain artemisinin. The experimental conditions of temperature, pressure and co-solvent use for obtaining extracts enriched in artemisinin by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) were investigated, and an economic evaluation of the SFE was performed in comparison with the conventional extraction using ethanol. The techno-economic analysis showed that among the conditions evaluated in the present study, SFE at 60 degrees C and 250 bar, without co-solvent, was the most promising production condition. Nevertheless, for the commercial viability of the arteminisin extraction using SFE it is indicated to use A. annua rigorously selected, and to reduce costs of raw material.