Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to isolation of curcumin from rhizomes, and in particular to isolation of curcumin from rhizomes using a membrane.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Generally, it is well known that curcumin is a key phytochemical present in rhizomes, especially turmeric, and is known for its immense benefits in the use of pharmaceutical properties. Presently, there are numerous methods of curcumin isolation. Several prior art documents discuss the extraction of curcumin from turmeric. As an example, prior art document CN105669410B mentions a method to extract curcumin from turmeric using aqueous-acetone by solid-liquid extraction. In this process acetone recovery is done by evaporation at reduced pressure. The curcumin remaining in water is extracted by liquid-liquid extraction using ethyl acetate and petroleum ether. The crystallized curcumin is more than 95% pure following crystallization and recrystallization. Due to energy requirements for the evaporation, and the heating, the quality of curcumin produced is significantly affected. It is an object therefore of the present disclosure to produce high quality curcumin without compromising on the quality of the product and obtain better yield of curcumin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and system for obtaining curcumin from rhizomes, the rhizome may be in a dried state or a raw state. In an embodiment, curcumin is dissolved in a solvent, and the dissolved particles of curcumin extracted by the solvent from the rhizome is provided as a feed to a first chamber of a separation unit. In an embodiment the dissolved particle of curcumin by the solvent are provided as a feed under a pressure P1 to a first chamber. In an embodiment, the solution containing the dissolved particles of curcumin in the solvent are allowed to pass through a membrane, where the solvent permeates through the membrane into a second chamber of the separation unit. In an embodiment the second chamber is maintained at a pressure P2, where the pressure P2 is lesser than the pressure P1. In an embodiment the membrane separates the first chamber and the second chamber of the separation unit, wherein there is a pressure gradient across the membrane. During the solvent permeation through the membrane, the retentate or residue in the first chamber is collected, wherein the retentate includes concentrated curcumin as close to the saturation point as feasible. In an embodiment a pressure difference is maintained between the first chamber and the second chamber of the separation unit, wherein the pressure maintained at the first chamber is greater than the pressure maintained at the second chamber. Other embodiments are also disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. Features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter of the present disclosure will be better understood with regard to the following description and the accompanying drawings. The figures are intended to be illustrative, not limiting, and are generally described in context of the embodiments, and it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure to these particular embodiments. In the figures, the same numbers may be used throughout the drawings to reference features and components. In order that the present disclosure may be readily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to exemplary embodiments as illustrated with reference to the accompanying figures. The figures together with detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate the embodiments and explain various principles and advantages.
[0005] Figure 1 is an illustration of an exemplary set-up for obtaining curcumin in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0006] Figure 2 is an illustration of an exemplary method of obtaining curcumin in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0007] Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary graph of curcumin rejection in experiments using an ethanol medium that were carried out in a dead-end setup under laboratory conditions in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0008] Figure 4 illustrates an exemplary graph of curcumin rejection in experiments under laboratory conditions at different transmembrane pressures using a cross-flow setup in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0009] Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical elements. The figures as disclosed herein are not necessarily to scale, and the size of some parts may be exaggerated to more clearly illustrate the example shown. Moreover, the drawings are meant to only be provided as examples and/or implementations consistent with the description, and the description may not be limited to the examples and/or implementations provided in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] The following describes technical solutions in exemplary embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this application as disclosed herein, "at least one" means one or more, and "a plurality of" means two or more. The term "and/or" describes an association relationship for describing associated objects and represents that three relationships may exist. For example, A and/or B may represent the following cases: Only A exists, both A and B exist, and only B exists, where A and B may be singular or plural. The character "/" usually indicates an "or" relationship between the associated objects. "At least one item (piece) of the following" or a similar expression thereof means any combination of the items, including any combination of singular items (piece) or plural items (pieces). For example, at least one item (piece) of a, b, or c may represent a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a, b, and c, where a, b, and c each may be singular or plural.
[0011] It should be noted that in this application articles “a”, “an” and “the” are used to refer to one or to more than one (i.e., to at least one) of the grammatical object of the article. The terms “comprise” and “comprising” are used in the inclusive, open sense, meaning that additional elements may be included. It is not intended to be construed as “consists of only”. Throughout this specification defined above, unless the context requires otherwise the word “comprise”, and variations such as “comprises” and “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element or step or group of elements or steps but not the exclusion of any other element or step or group of elements or steps. The term “including” is used to mean “including but not limited to”. “Including” and “including but not limited to” are used interchangeably. In the structural formulae given herein and throughout the present disclosure, the following terms have been indicated meaning, unless specifically stated otherwise.
[0012] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the disclosure, including technical and scientific terms, have meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. By means of further guidance, term definitions are included for better understanding of the present disclosure. The term ‘about’ as used herein when referring to a measurable value such as a parameter, an amount, a temporal duration, and the like, is meant to encompass variations of ±10% or less, preferably ±5% or less, more preferably ±1% or less and still more preferably ±0.1% or less of and from the specified value, insofar such variations are appropriate to perform the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the value to which the modifier ‘about’ refers is itself also specifically, and preferably disclosed.
[0013] It should be noted that in this application, the term such as "example" or "for example" or “exemplary” is used to represent giving an example, an illustration, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as an "example" or "for example" in this application should not be explained as being more preferable or having more advantages than another embodiment or design scheme. Exactly, use of the word such as "example" or "for example" is intended to present a related concept in only a specific manner.
[0014] It should be understood that in the embodiments of the present subject matter that "B corresponding to A" indicates that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should be further understood that determining B based on A does not mean that B is determined based on only A. B may alternatively be determined based on A and/or other information.
[0015] In the embodiments of this application, "a plurality of" means two or more than two. Descriptions such as "first", "second" in the embodiments of this application are merely used for indicating and distinguishing between described objects, do not show a sequence, do not indicate a specific limitation on a quantity of devices in the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of this application.
[0016] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and system for obtaining curcumin. In an embodiment, the method for obtaining concentrated curcumin as close to the saturation point as feasible is disclosed (In the description and claims below, concentrated curcumin should also be read as saturated curcumin, and both terms may be interchangeably used meaning the same). In an embodiment, any rhizome containing curcumin is taken and mixed in an organic solvent, wherein a dilute solution is formed which is provided as feed to a first chamber of the separation unit. In an embodiment, the feed is provided to a first chamber under a pressure P1. In an alternate embodiment, the feed may be passed into the first chamber in a continuous medium, in which case the pressure of the first chamber must be maintained at a pressure P1, which should be greater than the pressure of the second chamber P2. In an embodiment, the dilute solution contains dissolved particles of curcumin extracted by the solvent from the rhizome. In an embodiment, the rhizome used to prepare the solution provided as a feed may be in dried form, powered form, raw form, crushed form etc.
[0017] In an embodiment, the method includes passing the dilute solution containing the curcumin particles through a membrane. In an embodiment the second chamber is maintained at a pressure P2, which is smaller than the pressure of the first chamber P1, creating a pressure difference across the membrane that allows permeation of the solvent from the first chamber to the second chamber. In an embodiment, the membrane separates the first chamber and a second chamber of the separation unit, wherein a part of the feed containing the dilute solution is allowed to permeate through the membrane. In an embodiment, the solvent permeates into the second chamber, retaining curcumin in the first chamber. In an embodiment, a part of the solution permeates from the first chamber to the second chamber, the residue or retentate left behind in the first chamber contains concentrated curcumin as close to the saturation point as feasible, which is collected from the first chamber. In an exemplary embodiment, the saturation concentration of curcumin in an ethanol medium in the first chamber may be around 10 mg/ml operated at room temperature. It should be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that for the purpose of enablement the exemplary data has been disclosed, and not all ranges of pressure or different concentrations of curcumin have been tested and changing the solvent and/or the pressure and/or operating conditions may provide a better separation, and all such variation and changes should form part of the present disclosure.
[0018] In an embodiment, curcumin is extracted from the rhizome, by mixing the rhizome in a solvent, preferably an organic solvent, and the organic solvent is chosen such that it dissolves curcumin. In an embodiment, the organic solvent is mixed with the rhizome to extract and dissolve the curcumin forming a dilute solution. In an embodiment, the dilute solution prepared is provided as a feed to the first chamber of a separation unit.
[0019] In an embodiment, the first chamber is maintained at a pressure P1. In an embodiment, the feed to the first chamber may be provided under a pressure P1, which establishes the pressure of the first chamber to be P1. In an embodiment a pump may be used to provide the feed at a pressure P1 to the first chamber and maintain the pressure of the first chamber at P1. In an embodiment, the second chamber of the separation unit is maintained at a pressure P2, wherein the pressure P1 of the first chamber is greater than the pressure of the second chamber P2. In an embodiment the pressure at the second chamber may also be maintained at P2 using an external pump coupled to the chamber of the line which removes the solvent from the second chamber. In an embodiment, due to the pressure difference or the pressure gradient created across the membrane between the first chamber and the second chamber of the separation unit, permeation of the dilute solution containing the solvent and dissolved curcumin occurs, during the process of permeation, the curcumin is retained in the first chamber, and the solvent passes into the second chamber. It should also be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the second chamber may be kept at atmospheric pressure and may not require a pump, wherein when the second chamber is at atmospheric pressure, a pump is used to pass the curcumin feed as input at higher pressure, and different variation for the pressure condition of the first chamber and second chamber may be adopted, where the first chamber is always at a higher pressure than the second chamber and all such variation where the first chamber is at a higher pressure than the second chamber creating a pressure gradient across the membrane allowing permeation of the solvent across the membrane fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0020] In an embodiment, concentrated curcumin as close to the saturation point as feasible is left at a residue or a retentate, which may then be collected separately. In an embodiment, the concentrated curcumin as close to the saturation point collected is essentially of high quality as no heat is involved in the process of obtaining curcumin. In an exemplary embodiment, the membrane system proposed in accordance with the present disclosure is essentially a low-energy replacement to conventional evaporation techniques used for isolating curcumin from extracts of turmeric. In an exemplary embodiment, the energy and operating cost saved using the technique of the present disclosure provides an advantage over the energy and operating pu used in thermal-driven separation technologies, such as the evaporation process, to obtain curcumin.
[0021] In an exemplary embodiment, the membrane may be either a commercially available membrane, for example, polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), or other membranes compatible for separating curcumin, and it should be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the use of other varieties of the membrane that can separate curcumin fall within the scope of the present disclosure. In an exemplary case, the membrane may be prepared in a laboratory, for example, a modified interpenetrating network (m-IPN) membrane comprising graphene oxide (GO)-BMI-tagged dopamine. It should be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that several other membranes that are commercially available off the shelf may also be used or other membranes made in the laboratory may also be used for effectively retaining curcumin and all such membranes, whether commercially obtained or made in the laboratory fall within the scope of the present disclosure. In an exemplary case, under laboratory conditions, the m-IPN membrane showed good removal efficiency of curcumin, which was found to be in the range of about 45% at a transmembrane pressure of 1 bar. In an exemplary embodiment, this high rejection of curcumin by the membrane may be attributed to the fact that the membrane pores are tightened by graphene, influencing the curcumin rejection given that curcumin is a neutral molecule. In another exemplary case, the membrane may display some charge-based rejection and any membrane displaying such an effect to reject curcumin from permeating through also fall within the scope of the present disclosure. In an advantageous exemplary embodiment, the method of separating curcumin from rhizome and/or turmeric reduces the energy requirements for production of curcumin by a relatively large amount and also maintaining the quality of the obtained concentrated curcumin as close to the saturation point as feasible, thereby making the process more efficient.
[0022] Reference is now made to Figure 1, which is an illustration of an exemplary set-up 100 for obtaining curcumin in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In exemplary setup 100, as illustrated includes separation unit 105. In an exemplary case, separation unit 105 includes two chambers, first chamber 110 and second chamber 120. First chamber 110 and second chamber 120 are separated by membrane 130. A pressure difference is maintained between first chamber 110 and second chamber 120, wherein a pressure P1 of first chamber 110 is greater than a pressure P2 of second chamber 120. Input feed 115 is provided to first chamber 110 via inlet which is coupled to pump/motor 117, for example an electrical pump or an electrical motor, which is capable of driving the feed 115 into first chamber 110 and maintaining the pressure of the first chamber at P1. The difference of pressure between first chamber 110 and second chamber 120 forms a pressure gradient across membrane 130 that is separating first chamber 110 and second chamber 120. In an exemplary case, if second chamber 120 maintained at atmospheric pressure, then feed 115 of curcumin dissolved in the solvent supplied to first chamber 110 will be at a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, such that a pressure gradient is created at membrane 130. In an exemplary case, the pressure P1 of first chamber 110 is always greater than pressure P2 of second chamber 120, creating a pressure gradient across membrane 130, where the pressure gradient ?P = P1 ~ P2 (difference between the pressure P1 of first chamber 110 and pressure P2 of second chamber 120). In another exemplary case, pump/motor 117 may coupled to the inlet of first chamber 110 to provide the feed 115 to first chamber 110 at pressure P1, and also maintain the pressure of first chamber 110 at P1. In an exemplary case, another pump/motor (not shown in the Figure) may be provided at the outlet of second chamber 120, which maintains the pressure P2 of second chamber 120, which lower than the pressure P1 of first chamber 110, such that there is a pressure gradient across membrane 130. The pressure gradient ?P across membrane 130 allows permeation of the solvent from first chamber 110 to second chamber 120. The permeated solvent 125 collected in second chamber 120 is drawn out and may be reused. The set-up illustrated in Figure 1 is an enablement setup made in the laboratory, and it should be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that a similar setup may be designed to work at a larger scale, having a variety of designs for the chambers essentially separated by a membrane, wherein the membrane retains curcumin and does not dissolve in the organic solvent, and all such variation in designs of the separation unit fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0023] First, dilute solution 115 is prepared, wherein dilute solution 115 essentially includes an organic solvent with curcumin dissolved. Dilute solution 115 is provided as a feed or input to first chamber 110 of separation unit 105 wherein as mentioned previously input to first chamber may be coupled to pump/motor 117 to provide feed to the first chamber at pressure P1 and maintain pressure in first chamber at P1. Dilute solution 115 as mentioned previously contains the organic solvent with curcumin dissolved in it. A part of the feed 115, that is, dilute solution 115 from first chamber 110 permeates through the membrane 130, and organic solvent 125 is collected in second chamber 120, and a concentrated solution containing curcumin is retained in first chamber 110. The permeation across membrane 130 happens due to the pressure gradient ?P across the membrane, where the pressure P1 of first chamber 110 is greater than pressure P2 of second chamber 120, creating the pressure gradient. During the permeation a part of feed 115 containing liquid solvent 125 is being collected in the second chamber 120, and a retentate or residue is left in first chamber 110. Residue or retentate 135 is collected from first chamber 110, wherein the retentate is concentrated curcumin which is as close to the saturation point as feasible.
[0024] Membrane 130 is non-reactive to the organic solvent or curcumin or any other chemicals that may be used in the separation of curcumin. Membrane 130 is chemically compatible and maintains its physical integrity to feed 115 even under high pressures. Liquid 125, that is, the organic solvent collected in second chamber 120 can be recycled back and used for extraction of curcumin from turmeric. Advantageously, the residue obtained in this methodology is in concentrated form (as close to the saturation point as feasible) of curcumin in the solvent and of relatively higher quality compared to curcumin obtained from thermal-driven separation technologies.
[0025] Figure 2 is an illustration of an exemplary method 200 of obtaining curcumin in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 210 dilute feed 115 is provided to first chamber 110 of separation unit 105. The dilute feed is prepared by dissolving the curcumin from a rhizome in an organic solvent. The feed is provided to the separation unit, wherein the separation unit consists of first chamber 110 and second chamber 120, wherein first chamber 110 is separated from second chamber 120 by membrane 130. First chamber is maintained at a pressure P1, and second chamber 120 is maintained at a pressure P2. The pressure of first chamber P1 is greater than the pressure P2 of the second chamber creating a pressure gradient ?P at membrane 130. As disclosed previously an external pump/motor may be used to maintain the pressure of the first chamber and/or the second chamber such that a pressure gradient ?P is maintained across the membrane separating the first chamber and the second chamber.
[0026] In step 220, the feed provided to first chamber 110, where a part of the feed is permeated to the second chamber 120, wherein the feed that consists of curcumin dissolved in the organic solvent which is allowed to pass through membrane 130. The pressure difference between first chamber 110 and second chamber 120 creates a pressure gradient ?P across the membrane 130, which allows the organic solvent to permeate through membrane 130, and leave behind the concentrated curcumin as close to the saturation point as feasible in the first chamber which can be taken out.
[0027] In step 230, during the process of permeation of the organic solvent from first chamber 110 to second chamber 120, retentate or residue 135 is collected from first chamber 110. Residue or retentate is the final curcumin that is in concentrated form (as close to the saturation point as feasible). The curcumin collected is of high quality as it is not subjected to evaporation and/or heat during the process of separation. In an exemplary embodiment, after residue or retentate 135 is collected, the residue which is a saturated solution of curcumin, which will still have a considerable amount of the organic solvent, which may be removed by further purification, like centrifugation and/or crystallization.
[0028] Reference is now made to Figure 3, which illustrates an exemplary graph 300 of curcumin rejection in experiments using an ethanol medium that were carried out in a dead-end setup under laboratory conditions in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Graph 300 is a plot of the membrane used against the rejection percentage of curcumin by the membrane. In an exemplary laboratory setup, curcumin rejection was performed in an ethanol medium, which was the organic solvent, with curcumin dissolved in ethanol, using a dead-end setup (not shown in the figures). In the exemplary setup, a vacuum is applied to the permeate side to maintain about 1 bar transmembrane pressure, and the membrane dimensions was in the range of 30 - 50 mm in diameter. It should be obvious to a person skilled in the art that other organic solvents may be used to dissolve curcumin and all such solvents fall within the scope of the present disclosure. It should also be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that larger membranes may be used in a bigger setup or in an industrial setup and all such sizes of membranes fall within the scope of the present disclosure. It should also be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the membrane is non-reactive, chemically compatible with the solvent used, and maintains its physical integrity to the feed of the solution containing curcumin under high pressure.
[0029] In the exemplary setup, it was noticed that for a first sample membrane, which was commercially obtained, curcumin rejection 310 was about 5%, while for a second sample membrane, i.e., m-IPN when a vacuum was applied to the permeate side to maintain the transmembrane pressure at 1 bar, curcumin rejection 320 was found to be in the range of 45%. The curcumin thus obtained from the second sample membrane was of higher quality as there was no evaporation and/or heat provided to the process of obtaining the curcumin.
[0030] Reference is now made to Figure 4, which illustrates an exemplary graph of curcumin rejection in experiments under laboratory conditions at different transmembrane pressures using a crossflow setup in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The plot indicates exemplary measurements made on curcumin rejection versus pressure. For first sample 410, the curcumin rejection was found to steadily but rapidly increase from a pressure of 0 bar to about 10 bar to about 48% and then gradually increase from 48% to 64% between 10 bar to about 40 bar and remain almost flat at 66% beyond that. For the second sample 420, the curcumin rejection was found to be about 95% at a pressure of about 20 bar. In the exemplary experimental setup, the first membrane was Evonik Puramem Performance membrane, and the second membrane was Solsep NF080105 membrane. It should be obvious that the membranes indicated are only exemplary in nature and other membranes may be used to obtain curcumin by process of rejection, and all such membranes fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0031] In an exemplary case, using a commercially available Evonik Puramem Performance membrane, 66% rejection of curcumin in ethanol solution was obtained. In an exemplary case, a typical curcumin extract was taken as feed, with 0.85 g/L curcumin concentration. In the exemplary case, a cross-flow filtration setup was used with a transmembrane pressure of 60 bar. In an exemplary case, a membrane system simulation having mass balances and energy balances of curcumin and ethanol flows was performed. In the exemplary case, a single pressure vessel (6 membrane modules) operated at 60 bar can produce saturated curcumin solution in the retentate (un-permeated stream) for a typical flow rate of 12500 L/h. It should be obvious to a person of ordinary skill that these results were under laboratory conditions for purpose of enablement, and different variations and setups may be designed essentially with a membrane used to separate the curcumin and all such variation fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
[0032] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the preferred embodiments disclosed here. Embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Although the foregoing disclosure has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practised within the scope of the appended claims. Examples of the present disclosure have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methods. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing both the process and apparatus of the present invention. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are to be considered illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims. It should be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed and explained as examples of the present disclosure. , Claims:1. A method for obtaining concentrated curcumin as close to the saturation point, the method comprising:
- providing as a feed to a first chamber 110 of a separation unit 105, a solution 115, wherein the solution comprises dissolved particles of curcumin in an organic solvent;
- allowing the solution to permeate from the first chamber 110 to a second chamber 120, wherein the first chamber 110 and the second chamber 120 are separated by a membrane 130, wherein the membrane allows the organic solvent to permeate; and
- collecting a retentate 135 after the solution has permeated from the first chamber 110 to the second chamber 120.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the curcumin is extracted by mixing the rhizome in organic solvent.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the organic solvent dissolves curcumin.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first chamber is maintained at a pressure P1 and the second chamber is maintained at a pressure P2, wherein pressure P1 is greater than pressure P2.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first external pump 117 coupled to the first chamber 110 maintains the pressure of the first chamber 110 at P1 and/or a second external pump coupled to the second chamber 120 maintains the pressure of the second chamber 120 at P2.

6. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the pressure difference between the pressure P1 and the Pressure P2 creates a pressure gradient ?P across the membrane 130.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the membrane 130 retains curcumin with a part of the solvent in the first chamber 110, the curcumin is in saturated form, and allows permeation of the solvent 125 to the second chamber 120.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the membrane 130 is non-reactive to the feed 115.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the membrane 130 is chemically compatible with the organic solvent.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the membrane 130 maintains its physical integrity under high pressure in the presence of the solvent.

11. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the membrane 130 is reusable for batch operations and maintains long-term integrity during continuous operation to the feed.

12. A system for obtaining concentrated curcumin as close to the saturation point, the system comprising:
- a separation unit 105, the separation unit comprising a first chamber 110 and a second chamber 120, wherein the first chamber 110 and the second chamber 120 are separated by a membrane 130;
- the first chamber 110 maintained at a pressure P1 and the second chamber maintained at a pressure P2, wherein the pressure P1 is greater than the pressure P2, creating a pressure gradient across the membrane 130, and the pressure gradient across the membrane allowing an organic solvent 125 to permeate through the membrane 130 and be collected in the second chamber 120.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein a solution 115 is provided as feed to the first chamber, wherein the feed comprises dissolved particles of curcumin in an organic solvent.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a first external pump 117 coupled to the first chamber 110 maintains the pressure of the first chamber 110 at P1 and/or a second external pump coupled to the second chamber 120 maintains the pressure of the second chamber 120 at P2.

15. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the curcumin is extracted by mixing the rhizome in organic solvent, and the organic solvent dissolves curcumin.

16. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the membrane 130 retains curcumin with a part of the solvent in the first chamber 110, wherein the curcumin is in saturated form, and allows permeation of the organic solvent 125 to the second chamber 120.

17. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the membrane 130 is non-reactive to the feed.

18. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the membrane 130 is chemically compatible with the organic solvent.

19. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the membrane 130 maintains its physical integrity under high pressure in the presence of the solvent.

20. The system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the membrane 130 is reusable for batch operations and maintains long-term integrity during continuous operation to the feed.