<![CDATA[Papaya seed oil (PSO) is a promising sustainable edible oil, owing to its high oleic acid content. PSO extraction can be carried out by first determining the appropriate solvent, method, and operating conditions. Solvent selection significantly influences extraction efficiency, energy demand, and operating cost. However, selecting a solvent via quantitative experiments across various solvents is expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, this study proposes a systematic framework to screen 50 solvents using key criteria: Hansen solubility parameters (HSPs), physical properties, and safety, health, and environment (SHE) aspects. Five selected solvents, including ethyl acetate, acetone, n-hexane, ethanol, and water, were combined in binary and ternary mixtures for experimental testing. The main findings showed that PSO extraction using the Soxhlet method for 6 hours with a binary mixture of ethyl acetate–n-hexane (77.20 and 22.80 vol%) produced the highest yield of 19.28 ± 0.21 wt%, followed by a ternary mixture of n-hexane–acetone–ethanol (64.58, 8.13, and 27.28 vol%) with a yield of 19.15 ± 0.22 wt%. Despite its slightly lower yield, the ternary mixture of n-hexane–acetone–ethanol has physical properties that may improve mass transfer and reduce energy demand during extraction and separation. A preliminary assessment based on current market price indicates that the ternary solvent mixture is cheaper (997.5 USD/MT) than the binary solvent of ethyl acetate–n-hexane (1247.3 USD/MT). Therefore, while identifying the ideal solvent for PSO extraction depends on specific factors, this study offers a systematic approach to solvent selection that streamlines screening and reduces the number of solvents requiring experimental testing.]]>
