Interfacial tension of marine lipids in contact with high pressure carbon dioxide

Interfacial tension (IFT) of fish oil triglycerides (TG) and fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEE) in contact with carbon dioxide (CO₂) was measured according to the pendant drop method at 40, 55 and 70 °C and pressures up to 25 MPa. The IFT of both TG and FAEE decreased substantially with CO₂ pressure. The IFT of FAEE vanished at elevated pressures, whereas that of TG decreased to a fairly constant level of about 2 mN/m. The IFT was correlated using a model taking into account the density, pressure and temperature of CO₂, thereby facilitating the calculation of the ideal pendant drop volume as well as the surface excess concentration of CO₂. In the pressure range studied, the pendant drop volume for FAEE decreased with pressure, whereas for TG it increased at elevated presssures due to the predominant effect of buoyancy. Furthermore, the change in IFT over time was determined at 55 °C for TG in contact with CO₂ at pressures up to 11.4 MPa showing a decrease of IFT over time at low pressures, whereas at higher pressures it remained nearly constant. IFT influences drop formation as well as the disintegration of falling films thereby affecting the performance of separation processes.