{
    "title": "Pine Bark Extraction Patents",
    "inventor_name": null,
    "publication_year": null,
    "device_name": "Pine Bark Extraction Process",
    "goal": "Extract valuable chemical compounds (phenolics, proanthocyanidins, tannins, essential oils, dyes) from pine bark for use in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food, tanning and other applications.",
    "problem_addressed": "Conventional bark extraction methods are often low-yield, polluting, or energy-intensive; the patents aim to improve yield, reduce cost, and lower environmental impact.",
    "concept_summary": "A collection of patented methods that employ various solvent-based, enzymatic, microwave-assisted, ultrasonic, electric-field, and sub-critical fluid techniques to isolate and purify bio-active constituents from pine bark. The processes typically involve pre-treatment (grinding, sieving, resin removal), extraction with polar or non-polar solvents (water, ethanol, ethyl acetate, alkali, natural solvents), and downstream steps such as concentration, counter-current extraction, drying, and packaging.",
    "detailed_description": null,
    "principles": [
        "Solvent extraction",
        "Microwave-assisted extraction",
        "Ultrasonic cavitation",
        "Enzymatic hydrolysis",
        "Electric-field / magnetic-field pre-treatment",
        "Sub-critical fluid extraction",
        "Counter-current extraction"
    ],
    "scientific_domains": [
        "Chemistry",
        "Chemical Engineering",
        "Phytochemistry"
    ],
    "mechanisms_of_action": [
        "Dissolution of target compounds in selected solvents",
        "Cell wall disruption by microwave heating",
        "Cavitation-enhanced mass transfer",
        "Enzyme-catalyzed breakdown of polysaccharides",
        "Electroporation of bark tissue",
        "Selective solubility in sub-critical fluids"
    ],
    "materials": [
        "pine bark",
        "non-polar solvent",
        "15 % aqueous ethanol",
        "water",
        "ethyl acetate",
        "ethanol",
        "acetic acid-sodium acetate buffer",
        "cellulase",
        "endoglucanase",
        "alkali (e.g., NaOH)",
        "natural solvents (e.g., alcohol)",
        "resin",
        "sodium hydroxide",
        "urea composite solution"
    ],
    "energy_sources": [
        "heat",
        "microwave energy",
        "ultrasonic energy",
        "electric field"
    ],
    "inputs": [
        "raw pine bark",
        "solvents (water, ethanol, ethyl acetate, etc.)",
        "enzymes (cellulase, endoglucanase)",
        "heat",
        "microwave radiation",
        "ultrasonic waves",
        "electric/magnetic field"
    ],
    "outputs": [
        "phenolic extract",
        "proanthocyanidin extract",
        "tannin extract",
        "essential oil extract",
        "natural red dye",
        "purified oligomeric compounds"
    ],
    "claimed_performance": "High extraction rate, high product yield, low cost, environmentally friendly, reduced pollution, short extraction time.",
    "experimental_evidence": null,
    "replication_status": null,
    "keywords": [
        "pine bark",
        "extraction",
        "proanthocyanidin",
        "tannin",
        "phenolics",
        "microwave",
        "ultrasonic",
        "enzymatic hydrolysis",
        "sub-critical solvent",
        "natural antioxidants"
    ],
    "related_technologies": [
        "solvent extraction",
        "microwave-assisted extraction",
        "ultrasonic extraction",
        "enzymatic extraction",
        "counter-current extraction"
    ],
    "controversy_level": "low",
    "confidence_score": 0.9,
    "practicability_score": 0.8,
    "fringe_score": 0.1,
    "evidence_strength": 0.4,
    "risk_score": 0.2,
    "trl_estimate": 5,
    "source_urls": [],
    "organizations": [
        "RexResearch"
    ],
    "applications": [
        "pharmaceuticals",
        "cosmetics",
        "food additives",
        "tanning materials",
        "dye production"
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Quantitative performance data not provided in the article",
        "Scale-up and industrial validation not documented"
    ],
    "open_questions": [
        "Optimal solvent selection for specific target compounds",
        "Environmental impact of solvent recovery and waste streams",
        "Economic feasibility at commercial scale"
    ],
    "red_flags": [],
    "evidence_quotes": [
        "The method comprises the following steps: (1) pre-treatment: grinding naturally dried pine bark, and sieving the ground pine bark by using a 100 mesh sieve, so as to obtain pine bark powder for later use; (2) microwave-assisted extraction: weighing out pine bark powder, putting the ...",
        "After extraction of coniferous wax, the bark residue is extracted with 15 % aqueous ethanol at boiling temperature for 0.5",
        "The extraction method has the advantages of simple process, no pollution, high ...",
        "The extraction rate of the prepared Yunnan pine bark procyanidine is ...",
        "The process adopts multiple extraction and multiple stage centrifugation, and adopts a rough extraction desorbing method ..."
    ],
    "category": "Chemistry & Chemical Processes"
}