Comparison of Conventional Solvent Extraction, Microwave-Assisted Extraction, and Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction Methods for Paclitaxel Recovery from Biomass

In this study, conventional solvent extraction (CSE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) were compared for the recovery of paclitaxel from biomass. As a result of investigating the effect of the extraction solvent type (acetone, chloroform, ethanol, methanol, methylene chloride), methanol was the most suitable for all extraction methods. In the case of MAE and UAE using methanol, most of the paclitaxel (> 95%) was recovered by only one extraction. The recovery rate of paclitaxel increased with the increase of extraction temperature (25-45 degrees C), microwave power (50-150 W), and ultrasonic power (180-380 W) for MAE and UAE. In addition, SEM analysis showed that the biomass surface structure was slightly corrugated in CSE, while in the MAE and UAE, it was very rough and destroyed by strong impact.