The purification of hydroxytyrosol from olive leaves extract by modified activated carbon was studied experimentally in a batch system and a column by adsorption and desorption processes. The extraction yield reached 90% of hydroxytyrosol, which is the major compound found in the extract. Despite the abundance of research on extracts of hydroxytyrosol from olive leaves, it seems that the applied methods can be further improved. In this study, several approaches were applied to optimize the extraction conditions of this molecule. Hence, the response surface method and the Box-Behnken design (BBD) were used to evaluate the effect of the temperature, time, and adsorbent dose on the hydroxytyrosol recovery. Moreover, adsorption isotherm, kinetics, and thermodynamic studies were also performed to clarify the nature of the process. The main finding was the obtainment of a maximum adsorption yield of 97.5% at an adsorbent/adsorbate ratio of 1 : 20, after a 6 h cycle and at a temperature of 30°C. Furthermore, adsorption process seemed to fit best with Freundlich model. In addition, the thermodynamic study describes a spontaneous and endothermic process. Desorption assay using ethanol helped to recover 73% of hydroxytyrosol. Furthermore, the HPLC analysis of fractions after column adsorption showed a simple peak of hydroxytyrosol with purity higher than 97% and a flavonoids-rich fraction. These findings would indicate that this separation method for the recovery of phenolic compounds with high antioxidant activity can be a very promising one.
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