OptimEXT™ an integrated liquid-liquid extraction solution
Liquid-liquid extraction is a crucial step of effective process design. This unit operation is highly effective at concentrating, purifying, and recovering products and by-products. It delivers superior results in applications where conventional thermal methods are too energy-consuming, technically challenging, or not cost-effective.
OptimEXT is Sulzer’s newest separation solution that integrates liquid liquid extraction with solvent recovery to achieve new heights of performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Superior Purity
Removes impurities to sub-ppm levels for cleaner, compliant products
Proven Reliability
Over 700 successful installations ensure trusted, risk-free performance
High Solvent Recovery
Up to 99% solvent recovery, cutting costs and boosting sustainability
Cost-efficient Solutions
OptimEXT offers up to 50% energy saving along with 70% saving on solvent
Our specifics applications about OptimEXT
Discover how our innovative solutions address your process challenges maximizing yield, enhancing purity, and driving efficiency for your operations.
Product Recovery & Purification
Maximize product yield and purity in chemical, pharmaceutical, and specialty chemicals applications
By-Product Recovery
Recover valuable components from waste streams, creating additional value, minimizing losses and improving sustainability
Energy & Utility Savings
Reduce operational costs and improving efficiency by cutting down on steam, electricity, and cooling requirements
Solvent Extraction & Separation
of Complex Mixtures
Achieve efficient, selective separation overcoming azeotropes, thermal degradation, and poor phase separation.
Sustainability & Environmental
Compliance
Minimize hazardous impurities, reduce waste and emissions, and support green manufacturing goals
Explore How OptimEXT™ Delivers Value to Industry Leaders
CASE STUDY
From challenge to compliance:
How Sulzer OptimEXT™ enabled
green rubber oil (RPO)
production
Rubber Process Oils (RPOs) are essential additives in rubber
manufacturing, mainly used as a plasticizer, softener, and filler to enhance the performance characteristics of rubber products such as tires, footwear, seals, and gaskets. Treated Distillate Aromatic Extract (TDAE) is a safer RPO product that has recently gained interest due to its compliance with stringent environmental and regulatory standards.
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Main benefits
OptimEXT is ideal when:
Reduced solvent consumption up to 70% thanks to high efficiency and very flexible phases ratio
Low OPEX thanks to integrated extraction and solvent recovery process with recovery rates > 99% (product & solvent) and energy reduction up to 50%
High flexibility – OptimEXT™ can accept wide feed rate variations and handles challenging operating conditions, including pressurized environments, volatile solvents, and complex feed compositions
Compact design & Modular design helps reduce plant footprint up to 60% and related infrastructure costs
Solvent recovery and steam use impact OPEX and sustainability
Distillation is uneconomical or ineffective (e.g., azeotropes, high energy use)
Thermal-sensitive compounds require low-temperature separation
Feedstock is complex or variable in composition
High purity is essential and hard to reach with conventional methods
Footprint and integration limits demand a compact, all-in-one solution
OptimEXT solutions are designed around Sulzer proven extraction technologies, especially around the well-known Kühni™ agitating column. These are combined with Sulzer’s high-performance distillation units to efficiently recover and recycle solvents, transforming challenges into opportunities.
OptimEXT is suitable for any facility that includes a liquid-liquid extraction step—or is exploring solvent-based separation to improve process efficiency. Built on Sulzer’s highly efficient Kühni™ column technology, OptimEXT offers exceptional mass transfer performance with low solvent inventory, achieving up to 99.5% recovery efficiency and to ppb-range residue even in challenging feeds.
The system is already proved in many industries:
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Refining & Petrochemicals: sulfur, PAHs, BTX, PCA, asphaltenes, phenols
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Hydrometallurgy: recovery of cobalt, nickel, rare earths, uranium, copper
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Battery & Energy Materials: lithium, manganese, black mass recycling
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Wastewater Treatment: recovery of phenolics, amines, sulfonic acids, and carboxylic acids from industrial effluent
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Pharmaceuticals & Fine Chemicals: solvent purification, API recovery, impurity removal
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Natural Extracts: flavor and fragrance isolation, preservation of heat-sensitive bio-actives
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Agrochemicals & Specialty Chemicals: separation of reactive intermediates or solvent recovery
You can explore specific applications under the “Solutions for Your Process Target” section on our website—or contact us directly through optimext@sulzer.com, to evaluate how OptimEXT can be tailored to your operation.
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While distillation is a widely used separation method, it can be energy-intensive and less effective when dealing with azeotropes, close-boiling mixtures, or heat-sensitive compounds. OptimEXT™ uses liquid-liquid extraction to overcome these limitations, enabling selective separation at lower temperatures — often with up to 50% energy savings. This not only preserves the integrity of sensitive products but also improves overall process efficiency.
OptimEXT™ is especially advantageous in situations such as:
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Separating azeotropes that cannot be broken by conventional distillation
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Handling products that degrade or polymerize at high temperatures
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Recovering valuable solvents with lower energy input
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Reducing distillation column load and associated operational costs
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Improving selectivity in the presence of chemically similar compounds
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Mixer-settlers require large footprints and often struggle with process stability at scale. In contrast, OptimEXT uses the Kühni™ agitated column, delivering high recovery efficiency, consistent performance even with variable feed compositions, and a compact, modular design that’s easier to integrate into existing operations. Some proven advantages of OptimEXT are:
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Up to 70% lower solvent usage, reducing operational costs.
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Compact, modular design cuts footprint by 60%, reducing CAPEX.
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Sealed system ensures safer, cleaner operation with minimal emissions.
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Stable, high-efficiency performance across variable feed conditions.
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OptimEXT delivers reliable performance by combining a proven technology platform with decades of in-house expertise in analysis, testing, and design. Its scale-up is supported by technical know-how and real-world data from over 700 systems in operation, ensuring consistent and dependable results across industries.
We offer both lab and pilot testing options to evaluate OptimEXT for your specific application. Our in-house and rental pilot units are available for flexible deployment, including onsite testing at your facility. When needed, tests can be supported by performance guarantees. Our team will work closely with you to define the testing scope and validate the expected outcomes with confidence.
Yes. In selected cases, we can provide or recommend the appropriate solvent as part of an integrated solution.
You can reach out to your local Sulzer representative, or contact us directly through the email OptimEXT@sulzer.com to schedule a consultation.
