Integrated Membrane Filtration for the Recovery of Antioxidants from Lavender Spent Plant Material

TL;DR

This study combines membrane filtration, spray drying, and precipitation to recover antioxidants from lavender waste, offering a sustainable way to use plant by-products.

Contribution

The novelty lies in integrating membrane concentration with spray drying and low-temperature precipitation for antioxidant recovery from spent lavender biomass.

Findings

An eight-fold concentration of antioxidant-rich extracts was achieved with high membrane rejection rates.

Spray drying at lower temperatures preserved over 94% of antioxidant activity.

Low-temperature storage enabled phase separation and recovery of a precipitated antioxidant fraction.

Abstract

The present study explores the possibility of combining membrane concentration, spray drying, and low-temperature precipitation into a single process for the valorization of spent lavender biomass as a source of ingredients rich in antioxidants. Lavender spent plant material was subjected to solid–liquid extraction, and the obtained hydroalcoholic extracts were further concentrated using a dead-end membrane filtration cell (METcell) with a polyamide–urea thin-film composite X201 membrane. The feed and the obtained retentate were subsequently spray dried using a Nano Spray Dryer B-90 (BÜCHI) under different temperature conditions (120 °C and 85 °C). Low-temperature precipitation was further applied for the retentate. An eight-fold concentration of the extracts was achieved, with membrane rejection coefficients of 100% for antioxidant activity and 98.5% for dry solids content. The permeate flux ranged from 2.25 to 0.201 L·m−2·h−1. Spray drying at a lower inlet temperature resulted in minimal losses for antioxidant activity (below 6%). The low-temperature storage of the membrane concentrate led to clear phase separation, allowing for the recovery of a precipitated fraction. The obtained results demonstrate that the integrated approach may support the sustainable and scalable valorization of lavender by-products.

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