Methods and systems for extending usability of cooking oil

Abstract

Methods and systems that extend the usability of fluids, such as cooking oils, by keeping the levels of undesirable compounds in the fluids below those at which food quality is negatively impacted are disclosed. In embodiments, a cooking oil is directed from a reservoir to a treatment system connected to the reservoir. The cooking oil is contacted with a set of one or more reagents such as Lewis acid catalysts, structured catalysts, ion exchange resins, silica gels, zeolites, magnesium silicate, calcium silicate, activated charcoal or carbon, magnesium phosphate, metal carbonates, alkali catalysts, activated alumina, and / or molecular sieves to reduce the content of free fatty acids (FFAs), total polar compounds (TPMs), or both in the cooking oil. The treated oil is then directed out of the treatment system based on reducing the content of FFAs, TPMs, or both in the cooking oil to a predetermined percentage.

Description

[0001] METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR EXTENDING USABILITY OF COOKING OIL

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0003] This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. provisional patent application 63 / 718,491, filed 8 November 2024, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0004] FIELD

[0005] This disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for enhancing the quality and extending the usable life of liquids used in commercial and industrial processes, such as cooking oils and liquids used in chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.

[0006] BACKGROUND

[0007] Fried foods are very popular around the world. In many segments of the food service industry, especially in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) segment, the cost of frying oils can be a very significant fraction of recurring operating costs. Typically, many cooking processes that involve large quantities of oil involve heating the large quantities of oil in vats or reservoirs and maintaining temperatures of the oil between approximately 325°F and 395°F or higher for the continued use in cooking various foods. During repeated use of the cooking oil, three main factors contribute to the increase in Free Fatty Acid (FFA) and Total Polar Material (TPM) levels including the high cooking temperatures, water / moisture content from the food being cooked in the oil, and oil interaction with oxygen in the ambient air. The combination of these three factors accelerates the formation of FFA and TPM, leading to oil quality issues.

[0008] To date, the model for use of frying oils in the food service industry has generally been to take what may be termed “oil management” measures — that is, to attempt to control such parameters as temperature, entrained food crumb content, air and moisture exposure, and so on — during the useful life of the oil, and then to dispose of the oil or recycle it (e.g., into a renewable fuel) when the oil has degraded to the point that the quality of food fried in the oil becomes unacceptable. This model results in millions of dollars annually in wasted oil and other unnecessary costs, as well as degraded and / or inconsistent food quality, which in turn can negatively affect consumer appeal, branding, etc.

[0009] Trends toward healthier frying oils, driven in part by changes in food labeling regulations that set lower limits on trans-fat content in foods, have resulted in increased use of edible vegetable oils and vegetable oil blends for frying. As compared to other edible oils, e.g., tallow, vegetable oils are less thermally stable and degrade more rapidly during normal use at frying temperatures (typically from about 330°F to about 360°F) due in large part to thermally driven oxidation, hydrolysis, and polymerization reactions. As frying oil degrades, triglyceride chains in the oil break down and undesirable byproducts of the oxidation and hydrolysis reactions, such as polar materials and compounds (measured in terms of TPMs or “total polar compounds” (TPC)), FFAs, and mono- and diglycerides accumulate in the frying vessel and have a negative impact on food quality, the nutritional impact of the frying oil, and on the overall frying performance of the frying system. Particularly, as the oil degrades, its viscosity increases and its smoke point decreases, both of which are detrimental to frying performance and food quality.

[0010] Oxidation of frying oils can also produce compounds such as hydroperoxides, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, short-chain alkanes and alkenes, and other volatile and / or low-molecular weight products that are responsible for rancidity and its associated odors and flavors and can react with amines, amino acids, and proteins in fried foods, causing loss of nutrients and browning of the food. Other oxidation products, such as dimers, non-polar polymers, cyclic monomers, trans isomers, and position isomers, can also be generated by free radical and / or Diels- Alder reactions, depending on the types of fatty acids present in the oil.

[0011] FFAs are generated by hydrolysis of the ester bonds in triglyceride molecules when the heated frying oil is exposed to water in the food being fried. This reaction with water decomposes the triglycerides to form FFAs, monoglycerides, diglycerides, and glycerol molecules. These breakdown compounds have higher polarities and lower molecular weights than the original unadulterated triglycerides and can further accelerate hydrolysis reactions in the oil. These FFAs created during hydrolysis reactions are rapidly oxidized and increase the rate of thermal oxidation by solubilizing transition metals, e.g., iron and copper, in the oil. Higher FFA content in edible oils not only increases the rate of oxidation, thereby making the oil more prone to degradation, but also increases the acidity of the oil and leads to formation of volatile compounds that are responsible for off-flavors in the oil (and thus in foods fried in the oil). Further, as FFA content rises, the smoke point of the oil decreases, limiting its usefulness for high-temperature cooking.

[0012] Most edible vegetable frying oils, oil blends, and shortenings used in food service, restaurant, and high-volume commercial frying operations are made up of a complex mixture of saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and trans fats. When the oil is fresh, i.e., before it has been exposed to the high temperatures of frying operations and other oil-degrading conditions (oxygen and water vapor in the atmosphere, light, metals such as copper and iron, foods with high moisture content, etc.), the levels of FFAs and TPMs / TPCs in the oil are generally quite low; unused high-quality frying oils, which are usually obtained by the refining of natural oils to remove non-triglyceride components, are typically about 90 wt.% to about 95 wt.% triglycerides, about 2 wt.% to about 3 wt.% of each of diglycerides / monoglycerides, about 0.05 wt.% to about 0.5 wt.% FFAs, and about 2 wt.% to about 5 wt.% TPMs / TPCs. As the frying oils are heated and contact air, water, and materials carried into the oil by the food being fried in each of many frying cycles, thermally driven oxidation and hydrolysis reactions, among other secondary reactions, begin to cause degradation of the oil and accumulation of undesirable byproducts, including FFAs and TPMs, in the oil, which in turn affects the quality of the food being fried. Importantly, the rate of this degradation does not remain constant over time; as triglyceride decomposition byproducts accumulate in the oil, their presence increases the overall rate of oxidation and other thermally induced oil breakdown reactions in a phenomenon known as autooxidation. By the end of the oil’s usable life, its chemical composition has changed dramatically, with significantly lower amounts (typically about 50 wt.% to about 60 wt.%) of triglycerides and significantly higher amounts of diglycerides (typically about 15 wt.% to about 20 wt.%) and monoglycerides (typically about 18 wt.% to about 25 wt.%).

[0013] Degradation of cooking oil such as by increased FFA and TPM content is associated with health concerns. High levels of polar compounds, including FFAs, can be toxic when consumed and TPCs and TPMs are not digestible which can lead to various health issues. Further, higher FFA content increases the overall acidity of the oil, which affects food taste and quality.

[0014] Not only does oil with increased FFA and TPM content have health concerns, but it also has reduced cooking performance. In one example, oils with high FFA content tend to foam more during frying, which can lead to oil spillover and potential safety hazards. Degraded oils may also exhibit decreased heat transfer as the accumulation of polar compounds can reduce heat transfer efficiency, affecting cooking performance. Oils with increased FFA and TPMs may also lead to increased absorption of cooking oil into the food. Specifically, as TPMs / TPCs increase, oil viscosity will increase, resulting in a greater amount of oil to be carried away by the fried food, making the food less crispy and less healthy and increasing the total amount of oil used each day of frying operations. Due to the detrimental effects on food quality and human health exerted by hydrolysis byproducts such as FFAs and oxidation byproducts such as TPMs, regulatory bodies in various countries have set mandatory or recommended maxima on the TPM content (typically 24 to 27 wt.%) or the content of FFAs generally and / or linoleic and / or oleic acid specifically (typically 0.9 to 2.5 wt.%) in frying oils. Some countries may also have regulatory limits on the amount of FFAs that can be present in certain fried food products; for example, Japan limits the FFA content in shelf-stable fried noodles to no more than 1.5 wt.%, and South Korea limits the FFA content in sweet-and-sour fried pork to no more than 2.5 wt.%. In the U.S., the food industry typically discards or refreshes frying oils when FFA content reaches 2.5%.

[0015] Further, because of the detrimental effects on food quality and human health of degraded cooking oils, many countries have imposed regulatory standards that require regular monitoring of cooking oils to maintain acceptable FFA and TPM levels. Determining compliance with these requirements can be challenging; while techniques for objectively and quantitatively measuring TPM and FFA levels in frying oils “on the spot” do exist, they can be expensive, difficult to use, and / or require significant employee training. Some frying operations may therefore use simpler and easier techniques for determining oil quality, such as the use of color tests (e.g., by color comparison charts), clarity gauges, or dipsticks, but while these can be helpful measures, they yield only approximate, and mostly subjective and qualitative, results, and so contribute to both premature disposal of usable oil and the use of oil that has degraded beyond regulatory and / or acceptable food quality limits.

[0016] With respect to TPMs particularly, there have been some efforts in the art to provide active or passive absorption or adsorption of TPMs from frying oils during their useful lifecycle. However, each of these techniques suffers from one or more major shortcomings, the most typical of which are being “off-line” techniques, / .< ., not being incorporated into the normal operations of food service providers and having a limited positive impact on the overall oil quality by a device or system that only addresses one or two oil-degradation factors. As a result, more advanced TPM adsorption techniques have mostly been studied academically and have had little or no commercial viability.

[0017] Given these regulatory restrictions and difficulties in determining compliance, as well as the challenges associated with providing a commercially viable solution that can address the overall oil quality and extend useful oil life by addressing FFA levels, absorbing or adsorbing TPMs, and addressing the negative operational effects of oil degradation (e.g., accelerating further degradation of the oil, increasing oil viscosity, reducing heat transfer, reducing the oil’s smoke point, increasing oil absorption in the fried food, causing undesirable coloring in the oil and the food, negatively impacting food quality and consistency, etc.), the food service industry has devoted significant resources to minimizing frying oil oxidation and improving the oxidative stability of edible oils. Large frying oil producers and processors have had some success in improving vegetable oil blends and incorporating very small amounts (typically on the order of parts per million) of antioxidant additives (e.g., ascorbic acid, ascorbyl palmitate, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), calcium silicate, carotenoids, citric acid solutions, propyl gallate, rosemary extract, tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), etc.) that help improve the oil’s stability during transport, storage, and (to a limited extent) operation at frying temperatures; however, some of these additives present risks to the health of food service workers and / or consumers (for example, ascorbyl palmitate is known to be toxic to epidermal cells and may intensify skin damage in certain conditions, and BHA is known to cause cancer in rodents and, according to the National Toxicology Program, is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen). Current industry practices to attempt to mitigate the negative effects of oil degradation due to oxidation and hydrolysis include such techniques as filtration of the oil to remove food particulates (e.g., using activated carbon embedded filtration systems), use of chemically reactive additives (e.g., calcium silicate, citric acid solutions, and / or other similar antioxidants) to absorb, adsorb, agglomerate, and / or neutralize oxidation byproducts, viscosity modification techniques, and the use of reduced oil volume (ROV) fryers. These techniques generally have limited application, however, due to implementation costs, marginal improvements in oil life, and / or significant issues with process compliance, personnel safety, food safety, and operational complexity for the restaurants and processing facilities where they are implemented; by way of non-limiting example, filtration and handling of hot oil is a worker safety concern, and chemical additives can contaminate the food without proper control measures.

[0018] Despite all of these and other approaches and techniques for extending the life of frying oils, the average useful life of frying oil for many restaurant operations remains at about three days; some operations can extend this to five days and in rare cases to seven days, but even these cases require the use of multiple costly and time-consuming procedures and / or materials, sometimes with increased risk of injury to employees and operators. Thus, given the potential for very large oil cost savings, improved consistency (z.e., reliability and repeatability) and quality of fried foods, reduced dependence on complex compliance procedures, improved operator safety, and improved healthiness of the frying oil, there is a need in the art for methods and systems that can enable individual food service locations to effectively and efficiently increase the life of frying oils by multiple times, rather than the marginal improvements (generally 10% to 50%) that can be achieved using conventional techniques and materials.

[0019] SUMMARY

[0020] The present disclosure is directed to comprehensive systems and methods for enhancing the quality and extending the usable life of liquids including cooking oils, pharmaceutical manufacturing liquids, and chemical manufacturing liquids, through integrated treatment processes. By employing specific chemical and mechanical interventions, the disclosed methods and systems facilitate physical changes and chemical reactions via controlled reagent introduction to not only improve liquid properties and, in some cases reduce degradation, but also to support diverse applications across various industries.

[0021] In an aspect of the present disclosure, a method for extending usability of cooking oil comprises (a) directing at least a portion of the cooking oil from a reservoir to a treatment system connected to the reservoir; (b) contacting, in the treatment system, the cooking oil with a set of one or more reagents to modify the properties, composition, and / or molecular structure of the cooking oil by inducing a chemical and / or physical transformation in the cooking oil, thereby forming a treated cooking oil; and (c) directing the treated cooking oil out of the treatment system.

[0022] In embodiments, step (b) may comprise one or both of the following: (i) contacting the cooking oil with a set of one or more FFA treatment reagents selected from the group consisting of Lewis acid catalysts, structured catalysts, ion exchange resins, silica gels, zeolites, magnesium silicate, calcium silicate, other clay minerals (such as, but not limited to, bentonite, Na-montmorillonite, Ca-montmorillonite, other montmorillonites, attapulgite, palygorskite, sepiolite, and combinations thereof, where the clays can be in either nonactivated or organically modified forms or in a combination of those forms), activated charcoal and / or carbon, magnesium phosphate, metal carbonates, alkali catalysts, activated alumina, molecular sieves, chitosan, functionalized carbon nanomaterials (including, but not limited to, graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), polyoxometalates (POMs), hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, and combinations thereof to reduce the content of FFAs in the cooking oil; and (ii) contacting the cooking oil with a set of one or more TPM treatment reagents selected from the group consisting of Lewis acid catalysts, structured catalysts, ion exchange resins, silica gels, zeolites, magnesium silicate, calcium silicate, other clay minerals (such as, but not limited to, bentonite, Na- montmorillonite, Ca-montmorillonite, other montmorillonites, attapulgite, palygorskite, sepiolite, and combinations thereof, where the clays can be in either non-activated or organically modified forms or in combination of those forms), activated charcoal and / or carbon, magnesium phosphate, metal carbonates, alkali catalysts, activated alumina, molecular sieves, chitosan, functionalized carbon nanomaterials (including, but not limited to, graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), polyoxometalates (POMs), hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, and combinations thereof to reduce the content of TPMs in the cooking oil. The treated oil may, but need not, be directed out of the treatment system based at least in part on reducing the content of FFAs in the treated oil to less than about 2.5 wt.%. The treated oil may, but need not, be directed out of the treatment system based at least in part on reducing the content of TPMs in the treated oil to less than about 27 wt.%. Step (b) may, but need not, comprise both of substeps (i) and (ii) and sub- step (i) may, but need not, occur before sub-step (ii), or vice versa. The method may, but need not, further comprise repeating sub-step (i), sub-step (ii), or both one or more times to reduce the content of FFAs, TPMs, or both in the cooking oil to the predetermined percentage.

[0023] In embodiments, the method may further comprise separating at least a portion of the one or more reagents from the treated oil before step (c). The separating step may, but need not, comprise a phase separation process. The phase separation process may, but need not, be carried out in the same vessel in which step (b) is carried out. The method may, but need not, further comprise regenerating at least a portion of the one or more reagents to form regenerated reagents; and recycling the regenerated reagents for future use in the treatment system.

[0024] In embodiments, in step (c), the treated oil may be returned to the reservoir, directed to a vessel different from the reservoir, or a combination thereof.

[0025] In embodiments, at least one of steps (a), (b), and (c) may be automated.

[0026] In embodiments, at least one of steps (a), (b), and (c) may be automated with a computer program run on a computer that can customize and optimize the system to the operational parameters and specific oil degradation characteristics of an end-user operation. In embodiments, the method may further comprise, prior to step (b), subjecting at least one of the one or more reagents to a pretreatment selected from the group consisting of dehydrating, drying, heating, cooling, application of ultraviolet light, application of electric current, plasma treatment, vacuum plasma treatment, hydroxylation, chemical functionalization with surface groups, and combinations thereof.

[0027] In embodiments, the reagent may be pretreated with any method or functionalization known to the art to make the surface hydrophilic.

[0028] In embodiments, the modification of the properties, composition, and / or molecular structure of the cooking oil in step (b) may comprise sorbing free fatty acids, polar molecules, or both from the cooking oil and thereby reducing the content thereof in the cooking oil.

[0029] In embodiments, the modification of the properties, composition, and / or molecular structure of the cooking oil in step (b) may comprise breaking chemical bonds, forming chemical bonds, or both, thereby restructuring molecules in the cooking oil. Step (b) may, but need not, comprise forming triglycerides by esterification of any combination of glycerol, free fatty acids, monoglycerides, and di glycerides in the cooking oil.

[0030] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a system is configured to perform a method as disclosed herein.

[0031] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for extending usability of cooking oil comprises a port for connection to a reservoir in which the cooking oil is contained; a free fatty acid (FFA) treatment apparatus, comprising a first set of one or more reagents capable of reducing FFA content in the cooking oil; a total polar molecule (TPM) treatment apparatus, comprising a second set of one or more reagents capable of reducing TPM content in the cooking oil; a phase separation apparatus for separating at least a portion of the first set of one or more reagents, the second set of one or more reagents, or a combination thereof from the cooking oil; and an outlet to direct the treated oil out of the system.

[0032] In embodiments, the outlet may direct the treated oil to the reservoir or to a vessel different from the reservoir.

[0033] In embodiments, the system may further comprise one or more conduits, pumps, valves, or a combination thereof to control movement of the cooking oil in the system.

[0034] In embodiments, the FFA treatment apparatus, the TPM treatment apparatus, or both may further comprise a mechanical agitator, an impeller, a static mixing device, an ultrasonic agitation or mixing device, or a combination thereof to enhance contact of the cooking oil with the first set of one or more reagents, the second set of one or more reagents, or both.

[0035] In embodiments, the first set of one or more reagents, the second set of one or more reagents, or both may be stored in containers away from contact with the cooking oil, and the FFA treatment apparatus, the TPM treatment apparatus, or both may further comprise mechanisms to control distribution of the first set of one or more reagents, the second set of one or more reagents, or both from the containers into the FFA treatment apparatus and the TPM treatment apparatus, respectively.

[0036] In embodiments, the system may further comprise one or more heating units, one or more cooling units, or a combination thereof to control a temperature of the cooking oil.

[0037] In embodiments, the system may further comprise a cycling loop to move the cooking oil through the FFA treatment apparatus, the TPM treatment apparatus, the phase separation apparatus, or a combination thereof multiple times.

[0038] In embodiments, the system may further comprise a computer configured to run a program to automate control of the cooking oil through the system. The program may, but need not, direct the oil out of the system based at least in part on reducing the FFA content, the TPM content, or both in the oil to a predetermined percentage.

[0039] In embodiments, the phase separation apparatus may separate the portion of the reagents from the cooking oil by in-line filtration, centrifugation, flat bed separation, reverse osmosis, membrane separation, or a combination thereof.

[0040] The methods and systems disclosed herein result in a reduction in oil degradation and restore used liquids (e.g., cooking oil, pharmaceutical manufacturing liquids, and chemical manufacturing liquids) to a state where it can be reused effectively, thus extending its lifespan and maintaining its quality for continued use. The methods and systems of the present disclosure are suitable for diverse small scale commercial food preparation and manufacturing operations utilizing cooking oil, including food service providers, convenience stores, hospitality venues, resorts, entertainment centers, sports venues, and food manufacturing operations, among others. In embodiments, oils subject to the present disclosure are used in food service establishments (or restaurants), where meals are prepared for immediate (or near immediate) consumption. In embodiments, oils subject to the present disclosure are used in industrial fryer / cooking operations, where food is mass produced for packaging, shipping, and future consumption. Oils described herein and subject to the methods and systems of the present disclosure may be for the frying and / or cooking of any foods, such as potatoes, chicken, breaded foods, taco shells and tortilla-based foods, tempura-based foods, fish, etc. The present disclosure may also be utilized in pharmaceutical manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, other manufacturing processes liquids, etc. to extend the life of a liquid subject to degradation.

[0041] While specific embodiments and applications have been illustrated and described, the present disclosure is not limited to the precise configuration and components described herein. Various modifications, changes, and variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in the arrangement, operation, and details of the methods and systems disclosed herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the overall disclosure.

[0042] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms “about,” “approximately,” etc., when used in relation to numerical limitations or ranges, mean that the recited limitation or range may vary by up to 10%. By way of non-limiting example, “about 750” can mean as little as 600 or as much as 900, or any value therebetween. When used in relation to ratios or relationships between two or more numerical limitations or ranges, the terms “about,” “approximately,” etc. mean that each of the limitations or ranges may vary by up to 20%; by way of non-limiting example, a statement that two quantities are “approximately equal” can mean that a ratio between the two quantities is as little as 0.8: 1.2 or as much as 1.2:0.8 (or any value therebetween), and a statement that a four-way ratio is “about 5:3: 1 : 1” can mean that the first number in the ratio can be any value of at least 4.0 and no more than 6.0, the second number in the ratio can be any value of at least 2.4 and no more than 3.6, and so on.

[0043] The embodiments and configurations described herein are neither complete nor exhaustive. As will be appreciated, other embodiments are possible utilizing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forth above or described in detail below.

[0044] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] The accompanying drawings are incorporated into and form a part of the specification to illustrate several examples of the present disclosure. These drawings, together with the description, explain the principles of the disclosure. The drawings simply illustrate preferred and alternative examples of how the disclosure can be made and used and are not to be construed as limiting the disclosure to only the illustrated and described examples. Further features and advantages will become apparent from the following, more detailed, description of the various aspects, embodiments, and configurations of the disclosure, as illustrated by the drawings referenced below.

[0046] Figure 1 is a process flow illustrating one embodiment of an oil treatment method according to the present disclosure to extend the life of the oil.

[0047] Figure 2 is a process flow illustrating one embodiment of an oil treatment method according to the present disclosure to extend the life of the oil.

[0048] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method according to the present disclosure for reduction in the rate of frying oil degradation.

[0049] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method according to the present disclosure for reduction in the rate of frying oil degradation.

[0050] Figure 5A is an illustration of an embodiment of an oil treatment system according to the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 5B is an illustration of an embodiment of inside components of the oil treatment system according to the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 6A is an illustration of a conventional filtration unit in an exploded view.

[0053] Figure 6B is an illustration of an embodiment of a TPM mitigation device according to the present disclosure in an exploded view.

[0054] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. All patents, applications, published applications, and other publications to which reference is made herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. If there is a plurality of definitions for a term herein, the definition provided in the Summary prevails unless otherwise stated.

[0056] Unless otherwise specified, any reference herein to a metal salt encompasses both the anhydrous form of such salt and any hydrates of such salt.

[0057] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms “adsorber,” “adsorbent,” “molecular adsorber,” “molecular adsorbent,” and “molecular sieve” each refer to a solid material that is capable of removing soluble byproducts from a liquid, e.g. frying oil, by binding the byproduct (through bonds such as van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic interactions, covalent bonds, ionic bonds) and should be treated as equivalent terms.

[0058] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “active system” refers to any system for reducing degradation of frying oil, or any sub-system or process unit thereof, that alters the chemistry of the frying oil by removing and / or reusing oil-soluble chemical compounds. “Active systems,” as that term is used herein, may, but do not necessarily, remove particulate matter from the frying oil as a secondary function. Unless otherwise specified, the term “active system” is to be construed in this disclosure as contrasting and mutually exclusive with the term “passive system,” as that term is defined below.

[0059] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “computer” refers to any electronic device or system that includes at least a processor and a computer-readable medium storing instructions that can be executed by the processor to perform a desired task.

[0060] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “distribution system” refers to any system, or any sub-system or process unit thereof, that removes a fluid (e.g., a cooking oil) from a use vessel (e.g., a frying vessel), causes the fluid to flow through a treatment system (as that term is used herein) or portion thereof one or more times, and returns the treated fluid to the use vessel. Components of “distribution systems” as that term is used herein may include such components as, by way of non-limiting example, conduits, vessels, pumping components, valves, automatic or manual controls, and so on. It is to be expressly understood that, in certain embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed herein, a “distribution system,” or one or more components thereof, may be integrated with a “treatment system,” or one or more components thereof.

[0061] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “inert” means that the material referred to has no or very little tendency to induce, cause, catalyze, or accelerate a frying oil degradation reaction under system process conditions. Thus, for example, a frying oil can remain in contact with an “inert” material under system process conditions for a prolonged period (in many cases, at least about 30 days) without any significant increase in the rate of any oil degradation reaction relative to maintaining the frying oil under the same frying conditions in the absence of the material.

[0062] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “zzz situ" refers to an activity or process step, such as a chemical reaction, that is carried out entirely in the same location as a food frying operation, but not necessarily while a food frying operation is ongoing. By way of non-limiting example, any reference herein to in situ treatment and / or adsorption of frying oil degradation byproducts, unless otherwise specified, means that the treatment processes is / are taking place in the same location as a food frying operation ( / .< ., do not require the frying oil to be retrieved or removed from the frying facility, such as a restaurant). In situ processes may take place in an adjacent or nearby vessel in the same facility. Embodiments of in situ oil regeneration methods and systems include those in which oil may be conveyed between a frying vessel and one or more vessels of a treatment system by a distribution system. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the oil may be conveyed automatically (e.g., by a pump which may be computer-controlled, timer- controlled, etc.), but it should also be understood that the oil may be conveyed to the treatment system manually (e.g., by being poured by an operator).

[0063] By way of non-limiting example, any reference herein to in situ adsorption of frying oil degradation byproducts, unless otherwise specified, means that the adsorption is / are taking place in the same location as a food frying operation (i.e., do not require the frying oil to be retrieved or removed from the frying facility, such as a restaurant), and preferably is / are taking place in the frying device or vessel itself, although they may also take place in an adjacent or nearby vessel in the same facility, preferably a vessel or frying device that is a part of normal frying operations or easily integrated into normal frying operations. Embodiments of in situ adsorption methods and systems include those in which adsorption is carried out in the frying device or vessel and / or in a separate process vessel; in the latter case, oil may be conveyed between a frying vessel and the process vessel manually (e.g., by being poured by an operator), automatically (e.g., by a pump which may be computer- controlled, timer-controlled, etc.), or by a combination thereof.

[0064] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “passive system” refers to any system for reducing degradation of frying oil, or any sub-system or process unit thereof, that does not significantly affect, alter, or interact with the chemistry of the frying oil. In most cases, “passive systems,” as that term is used herein, attempt to reduce degradation of frying oil only by removing insoluble particulate matter from the frying oil. Unless otherwise specified, the term “passive system” is to be construed in this disclosure as contrasting and mutually exclusive with the term “active system,” as that term is defined above.

[0065] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “phase separation” refers to any process by which two or more phases are formed from a single mixture. Thus, phase separations can create two or more gas phases, or two more liquid phases, or two or more solid phases, or (at least) a gas phase and a liquid phase, or (at least) a gas phase and a solid phase, or (at least) a liquid phase and a solid phase.

[0066] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “reagent” refers to any compound or substance used by an active system to modify the chemistry of a frying oil. By way of non-limiting example, a “reagent” as that term is used herein may adsorb or otherwise remove TPMs or FFAs from the frying oil, and / or may be a catalyst that catalyzes a chemical reaction. It is to be expressly understood that a “reagent” as that term is used herein does not necessarily undergo a chemical reaction with the frying oil or any other material during operation of a system or method as disclosed herein.

[0067] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “stable” and its derived terms (e.g., “stability”), when applied to a TPM absorbent, adsorbent material, or reagent, means that the material referred to, under frying conditions and while in contact with a frying oil, (1) is insoluble or poorly soluble in the frying oil, and (2) has sufficient hardness and / or resistance to friability to resist “dusting” or “shedding” due to contact or abrasion by adsorbent particles and / or by other material(s). Thus, for example, a frying oil can remain in contact with a “stable” adsorbent material under frying conditions for a prolonged period (in many cases, at least about 30 days) without any significant increase in the concentration of dissolved and / or free particles of the adsorbent material(s) in the frying oil.

[0068] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “treatment system” refers to any system, or any sub-system or process unit thereof, that applies any one or more chemical or mechanical treatments to a fluid (e.g., a cooking oil) to (1) remove degradation products from, and / or reduce the content of degradation products in, the fluid, and / or (2) regenerate a desired component of the fluid by causing chemical restructuring of degradation products in the fluid.

[0069] “Treatment systems,” as that term is used herein, may alter the chemistry of the fluid being treated in some embodiments, while in other embodiments, such systems may reduce degradation of or regenerate the fluid without significantly affecting, altering, or interacting with the chemistry of the fluid. “Treatment systems,” as that term is used herein, may, but do not necessarily, remove particulate matter from the fluid. It is to be expressly understood that, in certain embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed herein, a “treatment system,” or one or more components thereof, may be integrated with a “distribution system,” or one or more components thereof.

[0070] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the term “used oil” refers to a cooking oil that is not fresh or brand new and has at least partially degraded such that the TPM and / or FFA content in the oil is significantly increased compared to the TPM and / or FFA content of a fresh oil (which is most typically about 2 wt.% to about 5 wt.% TPMs and about 0.05 wt.% to about 0.5 wt.% FFAs). In embodiments, the “used oil” may have a TPM and / or FFA content that is above desired or regulatory ranges, e.g., the “used oil” may have a TPM content greater than about 24-27 wt.% and / or an FFA content greater than about 0.9-2.5 wt.%.

[0071] The term “means” as used herein shall be given its broadest possible interpretation in accordance with 35 U.S.C., Section 112(f) and / or Section 112, Paragraph 6. Accordingly, a claim incorporating the term “means” shall cover all structures, materials, or acts set forth herein, and all of the equivalents thereof. Further, the structures, materials or acts and the equivalents thereof shall include all those described in the summary of the disclosure, brief description of the drawings, detailed description, abstract, and claims themselves.

[0072] All percentages and ratios are calculated by total composition weight, unless indicated otherwise.

[0073] To comply with applicable written description and enablement requirements, the following documents are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties:

[0074] British Patent Application Publication 712,747, entitled “Improvements in and relating to preparations of fatty acid esters,” published 28 July 1954 to Schlueter.

[0075] PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 0103512, entitled “Adsorbent filtration system for treating used cooking oil or fat in frying operations,” published 18 January 2001 to Bertram et al.

[0076] PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 9639044, entitled “Treatment of cooking oils and fats with magnesium silicate and alkali materials,” published 12 December 1996 to Munson.

[0077] PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 9323142, entitled “Filters including magnesium silicate,” published 25 November 1993 to Munson.

[0078] PCT Application Publication 2023 / 168322, entitled “Methods and systems for reducing fryer oil degradation,” published 7 September 2023 to Votolato et al.

[0079] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007 / 0154602, entitled “Treatment of cooking oils and fats with calcium silicate-based materials,” published 5 July 2007 to Withiam et al.

[0080] PCT Application Publication 2005 / 063954, entitled “Improved process for preparing fatty acid alkylesters using as biodiesel,” published 14 July 2005 to Gupta et al.

[0081] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007 / 0154603, entitled “Treatment of cooking oils and fats with sodium magnesium aluminosilicate materials,” published 5 July 2007 to Withiam et al.

[0082] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008 / 0160156, entitled “Treatment of cooking oils and fats with precipitated silica materials,” published 3 July 2008 to Withiam et al.

[0083] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011 / 0189361, entitled “Rejuvenation of used cooking oil,” published 4 August 2011 to Rao et al.

[0084] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013 / 0022722, entitled “Method of treating hot cooking oil,” published 24 January 2013 to Ulahanan et al.

[0085] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2019 / 0249110, entitled “Purification of Rendered Fats with Adsorbent Materials,” published 15 August 2019 to Hicks et al.

[0086] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 0229066, entitled “Solid Adsorbent Compositions for Purifying Liquids,” published 29 July 2021 to Malaba et al.

[0087] U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021 / 0275942, entitled “Combinations of Containers and Purifying Materials Used in the Purification of Liquids,” published 9 September 2021 to Stryker et al.

[0088] U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023 / 0276818, entitled “Methods and systems for reducing fryer oil degradation,” published 7 September 2023 to Votolato et al.

[0089] U.S. Patent 3,947,602, entitled “Treatment of cooking oil,” issued 30 March 1976 to Clewell et al.

[0090] U.S. Patent 4,681,768, entitled “Treatment of cooking oils and fats,” issued 21 July 1987 to Mulflur etu / .U.S. Patent 5,348,755, entitled “Extension of edible oil lifetime using activated carbons,” issued 20 September 1994 to Roy.

[0091] U.S. Patent 5,433,841, entitled “Method for reforming hydrocarbons,” issued 18 July 1995 to Ichikawa.

[0092] U.S. Patent No. 5,597,600, entitled “Treatment of cooking oils and fats with magnesium silicate and alkali materials,” issued 28 January 1997 to Munson.

[0093] U.S. Patent 6,368,648, entitled “Adsorbent filtration system for treating used cooking oil or fat in frying operations,” issued 9 April 2002 to Bertram et u / .U.S. Patent 7,597,044, entitled “Devices for reforming frying oil,” issued 6 October 2009 to Oh.

[0094] U.S. Patent 10,974,180, entitled “Cooking oil treatment filtration aid and method,” issued 13 April 2021 to Trent et al.

[0095] U.S. Patent 11,028,337, entitled “Structure including rice hull ash and reinforcing binder for adsorbing contaminants from cooking oil,” issued 8 June 2021 to Chapman.

[0096] The methods and systems of the present disclosure enable in situ reduction in the rate of frying oil degradation by reducing the accumulation of undesirable oil breakdown byproducts. Particularly, the methods and systems of the present disclosure reduce the rate of accumulation of undesirable compounds such as FFAs and TPMs, keeping the levels of these undesirable compounds in the frying oil below industry-accepted thresholds at which food quality is negatively impacted and below levels that cause accelerated degradation of the oil.

[0097] Furthermore, the methods and systems of the present disclosure prolong the life of cooking oil by removing contaminants, and thus reducing the accumulation of undesirable oil breakdown byproducts. Particularly, the methods and systems of the present disclosure reduce the rate of accumulation of undesirable compounds such as TPMs, keeping the levels of these undesirable compounds in the frying oil below industry-accepted thresholds at which food quality is negatively impacted and below levels that cause accelerated degradation of the oil. This effect, in turn, substantially extends the useful life of the frying oil and improves the quality of foods fried in the oil relative to currently available techniques. Use of the methods and systems of the present disclosure may also provide further advantages and benefits, such as reduced labor costs and improvements in worker safety.

[0098] Most typically, systems according to the present disclosure include a treatment system primarily (though not necessarily exclusively) responsible for mitigating accumulation and / or reducing the content of TPMs and / or FFAs and improving oil viscosity, clarity, and / or color. Importantly, the treatment systems as disclosed herein are “active” systems (as that term is used herein); this stands in contrast to “passive” systems that have no significant direct effect on the chemistry of the frying oil and attempt to reduce degradation of the oil only by non-chemical interventions (e.g., mechanically removing oilinsoluble particulates from the frying oil).

[0099] In embodiments, reducing the rate of accumulation of FFAs and TPMs in the oil is achieved by removing or otherwise converting FFAs and TPMs in the oil to industry- accepted thresholds. This effect, in turn, substantially extends the useful life of the frying oil and improves the quality of foods fried in the oil relative to currently available techniques. Use of the methods and systems of the present disclosure may also provide further advantages and benefits, such as reduced labor costs and improvements in worker safety.

[0100] The methods and systems of the present disclosure enable all or a portion of used oil stored in a reservoir (e.g., frying vat, storage container) to flow into a treatment system capable of reducing the TPM and / or FFA content in the oil while adhering to regulatory rules and guidelines such as those directed to food safety. The oil may then be returned to the original reservoir or to a different reservoir. In embodiments of the present disclosure, used oil is transferred from holding reservoir(s), such as frying equipment or used oil vats or reservoirs, by any one or more systems to impart energy to move the oil, e.g., gravity, positive displacement pumps, kinetic pumps, vacuum pumps, electromechanical pumps and equipment, into the integrated treatment system via an inlet connected to a conduit leading to its treatment zone.

[0101] Most typically, systems according to the present disclosure include at least two subsystems, an FFA treatment sub-system (which may otherwise be referred to as an FFA treatment zone(s)) and a TPM treatment sub-system (which may otherwise be referred to as a TPM treatment zone(s)), the structures and functions of each of which are described in further detail throughout this disclosure; it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that systems according to the present disclosure may, in some embodiments, further include one or more other types of sub-system / zone, such as, by way of non-limiting example, treatment zones for clarifying the used oil, deodorizing the used oil, catalyzing one or more chemical reactions (other than those used for FFA or TPM treatment) in the used oil, heating or cooling (or otherwise adding energy to or removing energy from) the used oil, and so on. In the practice of the concepts described in this disclosure, FFA treatment sub-systems are primarily (though not necessarily exclusively) responsible for reducing FFA content, mitigating accumulation of mono- and diglycerides, maintaining a high triglyceride content, and / or reducing the rate of autooxidation reactions, while the TPM treatment sub-system is primarily (though not necessarily exclusively) responsible for mitigating accumulation and / or reducing the content of TPMs and improving oil viscosity, clarity, and / or color.

[0102] To address FFAs in used oils, methods and systems of the present disclosure may provide oil life extension and oil treatment features via one or more FFA treatment zones. An FFA treatment zone may utilize one or more reagents to convert or otherwise remove FFAs from the oil, including but not limited to Lewis acid catalysts, structured catalysts, ion exchange resins, silica gels, zeolites, magnesium silicate, calcium silicate, other clay minerals (such as, but not limited to, bentonite, Na-montmorillonite, Ca-montmorillonite, other montmorillonites, attapulgite, palygorskite, sepiolite, and combinations thereof, where the clays can be in either non-activated or organically modified forms or in combination of those forms), activated charcoal and / or carbon, magnesium phosphate, metal carbonates, alkali catalysts, activated alumina, molecular sieves, chitosan, functionalized carbon nanomaterials (including, but not limited to, graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), poly oxometalates (POMs), hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, and combinations thereof. Some of reagents may, but need not, require further phase separation when used. The FFA treatment zone(s) may reduce the FFA content in the oil to within food quality / safety regulation standards regardless of the current FFA content in the used oil. In one non-limiting example, the FFA content in the used oil after FFA treatment in at least one FFA treatment zone may be within a range of about 0.2 to about 2.5 wt.%. In embodiments, the one or more FFA treatment zones, individually or in combination with one another, may convert or otherwise remove at least most of the FFAs present in the oil being treated. The FFA reduction percentages stated can be for the portion of the oil being treated in the FFA treatment zone(s), which can be any portion or the complete amount of oil in the reservoir. That is, at least about 50 wt.%, at least about 55 wt.%, at least about 60 wt.%, at least about 65 wt.%, at least about 70 wt.%, at least about 75 wt.%, at least about 80 wt.%, at least about 85 wt.%, at least about 90 wt.%, at least about 95 wt.%, at least about 96 wt.%, at least about 97 wt.%, at least about 98 wt.%, at least about 99 wt.%, at least about 99.1 wt.%, at least about 99.2 wt.%, at least about 99.3 wt.%, at least about 99.4 wt.%, or at least about 99.5 wt.% of the FFAs present in the oil may be removed or otherwise converted to a non-harmful byproduct (e.g., a byproduct that does not impact the safety or useability of the oil), and in some embodiments a beneficial byproduct (e.g., a byproduct that improves oil quality) by methods and systems of the present disclosure; by way of non-limiting example, the methods and systems of the present disclosure may treat a used oil having an FFA content of 9 wt.% by reducing the FFA content by 75 wt.% (such that the treated oil has an FFA content of 2.25 wt.%) or by 90 wt.% (such that the treated oil has an FFA content of 0.9 wt.%). Additionally or alternatively, the post-FFA-treated oil may comprise less than about 20 wt.%, or more typically less than about 15 wt.%, or more typically less than about 10 wt.%, or more typically less than about 5 wt.%, or more typically less than about 2.5 wt.%, or more typically less than about 2 wt.%, or more typically less than about 1.5 wt.%, or more typically less than about 1 wt.%, or more typically less than about 0.5 wt.%, or more typically about 0.05 wt.%, FFAs. In some embodiments, the used oil may have an especially high FFA content, in which case the system may include more than one FFA treatment zone, and / or the used oil may be recirculated through the FFA treatment zone one or more times, and / or a treatment time in the FFA treatment zone may be increased, to achieve a desired FFA content (e.g., less than about 2.5 wt.%) of the treated oil. In embodiments, the flowrate of the cooking oil can be lowered or increased to optimize contact time at any instant of time and / or total contact time between the used cooking oil and the one or more reagents in the FFA treatment zone(s).

[0103] In embodiments, parameters of the FFA and / or TPM treatment zone(s) include active vs static treatment, time and / or duration of treatment, temperature, and flow rates.

[0104] In embodiments, by way of non-limiting example, the one or more FFA and / or TPM treatment zone(s) in the present disclosure can include methods and / or equipment to detect the temperature of the oil, wherein the treatment time and / or flow rate is monitored and adjusted to achieve the target TPM and / or FFA reduction levels.

[0105] In embodiments, any FFA and / or TPM treatment zone process parameter(s) such as, but not limited to duration of treatment, temperature, and flow rates can be held constant while one or more parameters are adjusted to achieve the target TPM and / or FFA reduction levels.

[0106] To address TPMs in used oils, methods and systems of the present disclosure may provide oil life extension and oil treatment features via one or more TPM treatment zones. A TPM treatment zone may utilize one or more reagents to remove the TPMs from the oil, including but not limited to Lewis acid catalysts, structured catalysts, ion exchange resins, silica gels, zeolites, magnesium silicate, calcium silicate, other clay minerals (such as, but not limited to, bentonite, Na-montmorillonite, Ca-montmorillonite, other montmorillonites, attapulgite, palygorskite, sepiolite, and combinations thereof, where the clays can be in either non-activated or organically modified forms or in combination of those forms), activated charcoal and / or carbon, magnesium phosphate, metal carbonates, alkali catalysts, activated alumina, molecular sieves, chitosan, functionalized carbon nanomaterials (including, but not limited to, graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), poly oxometalates (POMs), hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, and combinations thereof. Some of reagents may, but need not, require further phase separation when used.

[0107] Further examples of reagents used to treat TPMs used in the present disclosure can include materials such as, but not limited to, food-grade fibers that can be nonwoven fabrics (i.e. nonwoven, lofted / felted fabrics) and particles of hydrophilic polymeric materials that have been surface-treated with, in a non-limiting example, can include plasma and vacuum plasma to become hydrophilic. These materials can be washed and regenerated, can eliminate the need to handle adsorbent / reagent particles / powders such as silica gel, and can simplify the oil treatment system by eliminating the need for phase separation after TPM reduction treatment, thereby reducing consumables cost and reducing treatment by consumables, increasing the cost effectiveness of the present disclosure. These and other benefits can be achieved through the use of TPM treatment reagents that do not require phase separation.

[0108] In some embodiments, the methods and systems may include more than one TPM treatment zone and / or more than one FFA treatment zone each treatment zone dispensing a different treatment reagent (by way of non-limiting example, a first TPM treatment zone may dispense an ion exchange resin and a second TPM treatment zone may dispense a silica gel).

[0109] In embodiments, the TPM treatment reagent or reagents can be automatically dispensed and metered into the TPM treatment zone(s), or can be manually added to the TPM treatment zone(s), by way of non-limiting example, as a pre-metered slurry in a reusable cartridge or as a single-use pre-metered package or pouch that can facilitate safe, quick, and easy handling by the end user.

[0110] In embodiments, the FFA treatment reagent or reagents can be automatically dispensed and metered into the FFA treatment zone(s), or can be manually added to the FFA treatment zone(s), by way of non-limiting example, as a pre-metered slurry in a reusable cartridge or as a single-use pre-metered package or pouch that can facilitate safe, quick, and easy handling by the end user.

[0111] The TPM treatment zone(s) may reduce the TPM content in the oil to within food quality / safety regulation standards despite the current TPM content in the used oil. In one non-limiting example, the TPM content in the oil post- TPM treatment may be within a range of about 2 to about 25 wt.%, more preferably about 2 to about 20 wt.%, more preferably 2 to about 15 wt.%, more preferably 2 to about 10 wt.%, and more preferably 2 to about 5 wt.%. In embodiments, the one or more TPM treatment zones, individually or in combination with one another, may convert or otherwise remove at least most of the TPMs present in the oil. That is, at least about 50 wt.%, at least about 55 wt.%, at least about 60 wt.%, at least about 65 wt.%, at least about 70 wt.%, at least about 75 wt.%, at least about 80 wt.%, at least about 85 wt.%, at least about 90 wt.%, at least about 95 wt.%, at least about 96 wt.%, at least about 97 wt.%, at least about 98 wt.%, at least about 99 wt.%, at least about 99.1 wt.%, at least about 99.2 wt.%, at least about 99.3 wt.%, at least about 99.4 wt.%, or at least about 99.5 wt.% of the TPMs present in the oil may be removed or otherwise converted to a non-harmful byproduct (e.g., a byproduct that does not impact the safety or useability of the oil), and in some embodiments a beneficial byproduct (e.g., a byproduct that improves oil quality), by methods and systems of the present disclosure; by way of non-limiting example, the methods and systems of the present disclosure may treat a used oil having a

[0112] TPM content of 35 wt.% by reducing the TPM content by 50 wt.% (such that the treated oil has a TPM content of 17.5 wt.%), or by 75 wt.% (such that the treated oil has a TPM content of 8.75 wt.%), or by 90 wt.% (such that the treated oil has a TPM content of 3.5 wt.%). Additionally or alternatively, the post-TPM treated oil may comprise less than about 30 wt.%, or more typically less than about 29 wt.%, or more typically less than about 28 wt.%, or more typically less than about 27 wt.%, or more typically less than about 26 wt.%, or more typically less than about 25 wt.%, or more typically less than about 24 wt.%, or more typically less than about 23 wt.%, or more typically less than about 22 wt.%, or more typically less than about 21 wt.%, or more typically less than about 20 wt.%, or more typically less than about 15 wt.%, or more typically less than about 10 wt.%, or more typically less than about 5 wt.%, or more typically less than about 4 wt.%, or more typically less than about 3 wt.%, or more typically about 2 wt.%, TPMs.

[0113] In one non-limiting example, used oil with a TPM content of about 25 wt.% can be treated to have a TPM content of no more than about 20 wt.% as taught by embodiments in the present disclosure, / .< ., the TPM content of the oil can be reduced by at least about 5 percentage points by weight. In further non-limiting examples, used oil can, before TPM reduction treatment, comprise less than about 50 wt.%, less than about 45 wt.%, less than about 40 wt.%, less than about 35 wt.%, less than about 30 wt.%, less than about 25 wt.%, less than about 20 wt.%, less than about 15 wt.%, less than about 10 wt.%, or less than about 5 wt.% TPM. In embodiments, the TPM content in the oil can be reduced to less than about 30 wt.%, less than about 25 wt.%, less than about 20 wt.%, less than about 15 wt.%, less than about 10 wt.%, less than about 5 wt.%, or less than about 3 wt.% TPM; in embodiments, the TPM content in the oil can be absolutely reduced by at least about 1 percentage point by weight, at least about 5 percentage points by weight, at least about 10 percentage points by weight, at least about 15 percentage points by weight, at least about 20 percentage points by weight, at least about 25 percentage points by weight, at least about 30 percentage points by weight, at least about 35 percentage points by weight, at least about 40 percentage points by weight, or at least about 45 percentage points by weight. The systems of the present disclosure may be equipped with an automated control system that regulates the introduction of and expelling of the used oil into and out of the system and amount of such. The automated control system can also, but need not, control valves and flow rates; the introduction of reagents (including the amount of reagent(s) dispensed, the timing of reagent dispensing; the types of reagents that may selectively be dispensed or not dispensed, etc.; the pressure and temperatures of the chamber(s); the operation of the mixing unit; and the phase separation process. This automation ensures precise operation, optimal treatment and phase separation outcomes, and consistent performance across various commercial uses. A treatment process of the present disclosure may be automated for enhancing oil quality through continuous flow of used oil through treatment zones (e.g., FFA treatment zone, TPM treatment zone) for one or more cycles.

[0114] In embodiments, the automated control system can, but need not, monitor parameters such as, but not limited to, flow rate, temperature, pressure, time elapsed, total mass or volume of fluid(s) processed, reagent utilization, and reagent life, to effect predetermined actions when certain conditions, states, or parameter values are met or, alternatively, fail to be met.

[0115] In embodiments, the present automated control system can use a computer program to determine when the oil can be directed out of the system. The program can monitor parameters of the system such as, but not limited to, reagent type and amount, reagent utilization and life, amount of oil being treated, treatment time, flow rate, pressure, and oil temperature to achieve a predetermined acceptable level of treatment that is effective in achieving the FFA and TPM reduction and other desired composition changes (e.g., reduced mono- and di- glycerides and improved levels of triglycerides). In embodiments, the program can also monitor the output of sensors that provide oil quality metrics to, in turn, adjust treatment parameters of the system such as, but not limited to, flow rate, temperature, pressure, time elapsed, total mass or volume of fluid(s) processed, reagent utilization, and reagent life.

[0116] In embodiments, the reagents can be placed in pre-metered amounts in the FFA and TPM treatment zones, respectively, rather than being released through the automated control system.

[0117] In embodiments, the automated control system can automatically determine the completion of the desired FFA reduction treatment and / or TPM reduction treatment by utilizing the degradation profile data for a given customer or user and establishing FFA and / or TPM treatment system parameters and reagent(s) tailored to achieve the required FFA and / or TPM reduction. In addition, the system can communicate (e.g. wirelessly) with a fryer to determine specific use metrics such as, but not limited to, type and quantity of food being fried and number of frying cycles, from which process parameter and reagent type and amounts can be dynamically optimized to achieve the increased consistency and reliability for the desired FFA and / or TPM reduction targets. Based on oil quality metrics data, the system can automatically adjust treatment process parameters, including, but not limited to, amount and type of reagent to dispense, amount of oil to be pumped into the system for treatment, treatment cycle duration, recycling time, and oil flowrates.

[0118] According to aspects of the present disclosure, a system for treating oil may include an inlet connected to a conduit. The system may have a conduit in line with a system to impart energy to move the used oil from a fryer vat or holding reservoir into an integrated treatment system. The system may include a distribution system comprising one or more conduits, continuous flow vessels, valves, pumps, and / or solid / liquid separation processes.

[0119] In embodiments, the systems of the present disclosure may be configured such that the oil flows continuously throughout the entire system or through the one or more treatment zones of the present disclosure, such as the one or more FFA, the one or more TPM treatment zones, or a combination thereof. In embodiments, the systems of the present disclosure can be configured such that the oil flows through one or more treatment zones at the same time or differing times or preset times.

[0120] In embodiments, the system may comprise one or more units for temperature conditioning (e.g., heating, cooling) via known cooling and heating methods. In embodiments, one or more discrete temperature conditioning zones may be included in the system in series along the fluid path. Each zone may be capable of independent temperature conditioning control, providing the ability to set zones for heating or cooling as needed, and an option for zones with both heating and cooling. In embodiments, the overall system may be subject to heating, cooling, or a combination of both to maintain the oil at a desired temperature. That is, the temperature conditioning zones may run throughout the system, rather than in discrete or separate zones. The cooling and heating methods may include the use of one or more heat exchangers, fans, etc. and may utilize air and / or a secondary treatment liquid (e.g., water, coolants such as glycol).

[0121] The system may include a fluid treatment process unit having one or more dependent and / or independent treatment processes and zones, such as one or more zones for FFA treatment, one or more zones for TPM treatment, one or more zones for filtration, one or more zones for temperature control, one or more zones for separating the treated oil from treatment reagents, etc.

[0122] The system may automatically control the introduction of used oil into, through, and out of the treatment process. Additionally or alternatively, the system may include manual control of used oil into, through, and out of the treatment process.

[0123] The system may include one or more reagent containers, such as one or more containers holding TPM treatment reagent(s), and / or one or more containers holding FFA treatment reagent(s). The one or more reagents may be contacted with the oil via manual operation (e.g., using a mechanical control device, such as a button that may be pressed by an operator to manually dispense the one or more reagent(s) as desired) or automatically (via a program). In embodiments, the one or more reagents may be dispensed into the flowing oil stream at one or more treatment zones in the treatment system. The system may have automated control over the dispensing of one or more of the reagents from the reagent containers into the treatment process and / or an operator may control the dispensing of one or more of the reagents into the treatment system. The reagent(s) may be dispensed on one or more occasions, and in the case the multiple reagents are dispensed, such dispersion may occur at the same, or at different or varying times during a treatment process. In embodiments, the reagent(s) may be dispensed into a container holding the oil, where the oil may be flowing through the container or may be held in the container. In embodiments, the reagent(s) may be dispensed into a conduit the oil is flowing through. In embodiments, the reagent(s) may first be stored in or dispensed into a container, and the oil may then flow into or through the container. In some embodiments, a pre-determined amount of reagent(s) may be dispensed from a reagent container and mixed into a stream of flowing oil, whereas in other embodiments, the reagent(s) may remain in the reagent container and the reagent container may be configured so as to allow the oil to flow into and through the reagent container in a way that ensures complete contact of the used oil with the reagent(s).

[0124] The system may in some embodiments further include, either as part of a reagent container or as a separate system component, one or more apparatuses or devices configured to subject an associated reagent with one or more pretreatments prior to dispensing of the reagent into the flowing oil stream and / or treatment zone. Non-limiting examples of such pretreatments include dehydrating, drying, heating, cooling, application of ultraviolet light, application of electric current, plasma treatment, hydroxylation, chemical functionalization with surface groups, and combinations thereof, and the pretreatment apparatuses or devices may accordingly include, by way of non-limiting example, dryers / desiccators, heaters, coolers / refrigeration units, ultraviolet light sources, electrical conductors, corona discharge equipment, and so on. These and other pretreatment steps may be beneficial for any of a wide variety of purposes, such as improving the effectiveness of the reagent (thereby reducing the quantity of the reagent that must be used), preventing reagent fouling or saturation, improving the kinetics or thermodynamics of FFA or TPM treatment (e.g., by heating or cooling the reagent(s) to temperatures at which FFA or TPM treatment are kinetically or thermodynamically favored), inducing a desired chemical reaction in the reagent itself (e.g., photopolymerization, isomerization, addition of surface functional groups to improve the reagent’s capacity to sorb FFAs or TPMs, etc.), cleaning ( / .< ., removing impurities from) the reagent, increasing the effective surface area of the reagent, and the like. Notably, some such pretreatment processes may particularly enhance the effectiveness of physical or chemical sorbents, many of which rely on polarity to effectively sorb FFAs or TPMs.

[0125] The set-up for the FFA and TPM treatment zones may be the same or different. The FFA and TPM treatment zones may each include any number of sub-zones, where each subzone may treat the oil with distinct techniques, including but not limited to distinct reagents or a mixture of reagents, temperature conditioning, and filtering.

[0126] The system may include one or more continuous flow vessels allowing used oil and reagents to flow freely through them. The continuous movement of oil and reagents through the system promotes optimal treatment, resulting in improved quality and condition of the used cooking oil. In some embodiments, the system includes continuous flow vessels allowing used oil to flow freely through them, and reagents to remain captured in the vessel allowing used oil to flow through the captured reagents, contact them and then pass through the vessel. In some embodiments, the system includes one or more continuous flow vessels allowing the used oil and one or more reagents to be mixed and to flow together in the continuous flow vessels for any period. Continuous flow vessels of the system may allow reagents to remain captured in the vessel until the reagents are purged from the vessel automatically or manually, after each treatment or when they are no longer effective. That is, a reagent may be removed from its treatment zone when it has been used for a certain amount of time or for a certain number of treatments, before or after the reagent has reached an expiration date, when the reagent no longer reduces TPM and / or FFA content at a desired efficiency, etc. Upon removal, the reagent may be replaced with a new reagent and / or the reagents may be regenerated and returned to its treatment zone. Reagents may be removed from treatment zones during or after a treatment, and may be removed manually (i.e., via an operator input) or automatically (i.e., prompted by a program of the system). Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, one or more continuous flow vessels may be used to stage the oil or other liquid being treated prior to TPM and / or FFA treatment or phase separation (e.g., a continuous flow vessel may be part of a distribution system, wherein oil flows from a frying vessel first into the continuous flow vessel and subsequently into one or more treatment zones), and thus may not be configured to receive and / or dispense treatment reagents at all.

[0127] In embodiments where the reagents remain captured in the continuous flow vessel allowing the oil to flow through the reagent, the continuous flow vessel includes mechanical, physical, geometric, or other means for ensuring optimal contact of the cooking oil with the reagent. Maintaining optimal contact between the oil and the reagent during active treatment maximizes the effectiveness and efficiency of each gram of reagent. In addition to this, for embodiments where the TPM and / or FFA treatment is carried out in a subsystem or vessel of the system where a phase separation process is also carried out, said subsystem or vessel also includes means to ensure sufficient surface area is provided to maintain oil flowrates and system pressures in an optimal range ensuring consistent, repeatable treatment results. Phase separation can be single stage or can be multi-stage. Treatments can consist of a single pass of the cooking oil through the vessel, or treatments can consist of the cooking oil cycling through the same phase separation vessel multiple times, either in batches or in continuous recirculation, until the desired treatment level is accomplished.

[0128] In some embodiments, TPM and / or FFA treatment may be carried out in ( / .< ., one or more TPM and / or FFA treatment reagents may be placed within and / or added to) a component, subsystem, or vessel of the system where a phase separation process (e.g., depth filtration) may also be carried out, either simultaneously with or subsequent to the TPM and / or FFA treatment.

[0129] This may be achieved, by way of non-limiting example, by causing the oil or other liquid being treated to enter a phase separation vessel and depositing (either manually or automatically) the reagent(s) in the phase separation vessel. The phase separation may thus provide a simple way to recover the reagent; for example, performing a TPM and / or FFA treatment in a depth filtration vessel may allow a solid TPM and / or FFA reagent to be easily and efficiently recovered via depth filtration. In this manner, a predetermined extent or level of TPM and / or FFA reduction in the oil or other liquid being treated can be accomplished prior to or during a phase separation process.

[0130] In some embodiments, the system may control, via automated or manual input, flow rates and times of the oil being treated into and out of the system, reagent introduction flow rates and quantities, and number of treatment cycles per treatment session. A treatment session may refer to one used oil batch being treated at a time. A batch may refer to all or a portion of the current used cooking oil within a fryer or fryer reservoir at any one time.

[0131] A treatment zone may include one or more deposit points or ports where reagents are dispensed from one or more reagent containers, directly into the conduit where the used cooking oil is flowing, or into a continuous flow vessel(s) where oil is pumped in from the conduit and then the reagent and oil are mixed to form a suspension as they flow through the vessel. The suspension is dispensed into the conduit and continues its flow forward.

[0132] A reagent dispensing system in the FFA treatment zone, TPM treatment zone, or both ensures the accurate and controlled introduction of treatment materials and / or reagents and involves automated and / or manual control mechanisms to dispense reagents at specific, and defined volumes, conduit points, and times, allowing for dynamic optimization. The reagent dispensing and metering can be predetermined based on established oil quality metrics for a given operation or frying process or can be automated to allow for dynamic optimization based on real-time oil conditions and operator input.

[0133] In embodiments, the system ensures thorough mixing of reagents with the oil in the treatment zone. Mixing techniques may include mechanical agitators, impellers, static mixing devices, ultrasonic agitation / mixing, and kinetic energy from oil flow which enhance the interaction between the oil and treatment materials for optimal treatment efficiency.

[0134] The treatment process may induce chemical reactions within the oil, facilitated by the reagents, to reduce oxidative degradation, mitigate TPMs, and manage FFAs. This process also could result in purification, clarification, and deodorizing of the oil, which may significantly extend the usable life of the oil and maintain a high level of quality.

[0135] The one or more reagents used in the system may be solid or liquid or a combination thereof, and may be soluble, insoluble, or a combination thereof in the fluid being treated. It is to be understood that the scope of the present disclosure is not to be limited to the dispensing of any specific type, amount, or combination of reagent(s).

[0136] In embodiments, the reagent can be gas and / or vapor. In one non-limiting example, ozone can be bubbled through or contacted with cooking oil to oxidize organic compounds. Without wishing to be bound by any theory, it is hypothesized that ozone reacts with the double bonds in FFA and oxidized TPMs, which breaks them down into smaller and less polar molecules.

[0137] A distribution and / or treatment system of the present disclosure may cause the used oil and reagent(s) within the treatment process to be in intimate contact during a portion, or the entirety, of movement of the used oil through the treatment process and for any period (seconds, minutes, days, weeks). The system may have electro-mechanical controls to control oil flow throughout the system. The system may include firmware and software to drive the electro- mechanical control and logic system. In embodiments, a control panel with system treatment presets, power controls, alerts, caution signals, and video display for operating instructions optionally with touch screen system control may be included in the system.

[0138] The system may treat a predetermined quantity of used cooking oil per specified or planned period, so that each periodic treatment of the used oil also treats additional treated oil thus enhancing the benefits of the treatments on the overall oil in the fryer reservoir.

[0139] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the system supports an integrated recycling loop for continuous quality improvement of the oil. The recycling loop allows used and treated oil to undergo multiple treatment cycles, incrementally improving its quality and extending its usable life. This feature is particularly beneficial in high-volume commercial applications where oil quality is critical. The oil may be cycled through the system as a whole or through one or more portions of the system one or more times for enhanced treatment. For example, the oil may pass through the FFA treatment zone, pass through the TPM treatment zone, and / or pass through the separation zone multiple times. Thus, by way of non-limiting example, the system may be configured such that the oil may pass through that FFA treatment zone multiple times but may pass through the TPM treatment and separation zones only once.

[0140] A system of the present disclosure may have automated or allow for manual control over the periodic treatment of any portion of a vat or reservoir of used oil moving through the treatment process one or more times, to optimize the usable life of the used oil.

[0141] The system offers a controlled and automated dispensing of used oil with one or more reagents into the systems processing and reaction pipeline and / or continuous flow vessel(s) that transport the cooking oil to promote chemical and / or physical reactions of the reagent(s) with the used oil. Each of the reagents may be added at different proportions and different dispensing durations depending on the amount of oil dispensed into the system and determined parameters. The system’s ability to precisely introduce used oil and reagents at specific points and times allows for dynamic optimization of the treatment and phase separation process. As such, the system can adjust the type and amount of used oil and reagents in real-time based on the current condition of the oil, or on operator-determined or pre-determined and programmed system settings, or on inputs from a sensor system that continually monitors properties of the used oil, or on a combination of these inputs. This dynamic approach ensures that the treatment is optimal, regardless of variations in oil quality or usage patterns, leading to more efficient and effective oil management.

[0142] In addition, the control over when and how much used cooking oil is introduced into the system ensures there is a constant treatment and improvement process in place to optimize the usable life of the oil.

[0143] The system of the present disclosure further provides enhanced agitation techniques for improved interaction between the oil and reagents. The agitation techniques (e.g., static mixing devices, ultrasonic agitation / mixing, and / or impellers, combined with kinetic energy from oil flow) ensure thorough interaction between oil and treatment materials. This reduces reagent material settling and may enhance reagent surface interaction, overcoming challenges faced by traditional systems.

[0144] In embodiments, enhanced agitation techniques are used to achieve improved and optimal contact between the cooking oil and the reagents. Therefore, the system can also include one or more means for enhanced irrigation and / or thorough wetting of the reagent(s) with the cooking oil, including, but not limited to, flow diffusion devices such as diffusion plates or screens, multi-point oil flow heads, and / or static mixing devices.

[0145] In embodiments, to enhance agitation, the system can provide treatment zone component and / or vessel configurations that accomplish enhanced interaction between reagent(s) and the cooking oil through optimized combinations of flow-through surface area, reagent packing density, and pressure differential regulation across the reagent(s) packing density gradient. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that different types of pumps can be employed for achieving the desired pressure differential. By way of non-limiting example, a metered amount of one or more TPM or FFA solid-phase reagents can be automatically dispensed or manually placed into and captured in a phase separation vessel, where the reagent is uniformly distributed across the surface area of a phase separation medium (e.g., a single or multi-stage depth filter). Depending on the amount of oil to be treated and the amount of TPM or FFA reduction desired and the packing density (g / cm2or g / sq. in.) of the reagent(s) distributed across the phase separation media, the pressure differential between atmospheric pressure above the oil and the vacuum pressure generated by the pump below the oil and phase separation media may not be sufficient to generate continuous, uniform flow through and optimal contact with all the reagent particles, and so additional positive pressure may be required above the oil to achieve the desired results. Once the necessary pressure differential is established, proper flow-through and optimal contact between the cooking oil and reagent(s) can be sustained and / or maintained by the system controller that monitors system pressure and controls pump speed for the duration of the treatment, including any recirculation time needed to treat the oil to the desired levels of TPM and / or FFA.

[0146] Following FFA and / or TPM treatment, the oil may then pass through one or more separation processes to reduce or substantially remove one or more of the reagents used in the FFA and / or TPM treatment(s) from the oil. In embodiments, the separation process may remove coarse solids that may be left over from pre-filtering processes of the used oil. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the separation treatment may target separation of a sub-set of the reagents used in FFA and / or TPM treatments. That is, the separation treatment may target a certain reagent(s) or type(s) of regent(s) for removal while other reagents or types of reagents may remain in the oil. The separation process may include multiple sub-treatments or mixture of reagents. In embodiments, more than one subtreatment may target the same reagent, type of reagent, or mixture of reagents. In embodiments, the oil may be configured to pass through all or a portion of the separation process once or multiple times. The system may have automated control or allow for manual control over the separation of reagents from any portion of used oil moving through the system at any time, duration and for one or more cycles to optimize the usable life of the used oil. If the oil is passed through the treatment system more than once (i.e., incurs multiple FFA and / or TPM treatment cycles), the reagents may be separated from the oil after each treatment, or at the end of the complete treatment (i.e., at the end of the multiple treatment cycles).

[0147] The one or more separation processes may use known separation methods, such as phase separation, decantation, distillation, evaporation, and / or filtration. More specifically, techniques such as in-line filtration, centrifugation, flat bed separation, reverse osmosis, membrane separation, depth filtration, or any other known separation technique may be employed. The renewed oil may then be directed to an outlet and pumped out of the system for reuse, storage, or further processing. That is, the renewed oil can be returned to the original fryer or frying operation, directed to external conduits, or stored in reservoirs or vats for future use. Additionally, the system may include a recycling loop, allowing the oil to pass through the treatment zone multiple times to enhance its quality further.

[0148] In embodiments, the system can provide treatments and / or phase separation that are closed or open systems. In closed systems, the system can be put under positive or negative gauge pressure to achieve the required change in pressure. In open systems, the system is open to atmospheric pressure and has, on different sides, a vacuum and / or a gravity pump inlet to achieve the required change in pressure. Within the system, surface area, relative achievable “packing density,” and other variables known to the art to impact rate of flow and / or change in pressure can be controlled to optimize the change in pressure in the system.

[0149] In embodiments, the system parameters can be adjusted to optimize surface area and flow rate, and other parameters known to those of ordinary skill in the art, can be impacted by reagent selection. Reagent selection can be informed by particle size distribution, porosity level, nominal pore size, optimal adsorption temperature, moisture removal prior to treatment, and other characteristics known to those of ordinary skill in the art to influence system performance.

[0150] In embodiments, the phase separation apparatus may separate the portion of the reagents from the cooking oil by methods previously disclosed, in addition to molecular sieves. In a non-limiting example, the molecular sieves can be fabricated using established techniques such as, but not limited to, forming, molding, extruding, and casting. After fabrication, the sieve is then sintered. This sintered molecular sieve, rather than other sieves consisting of loose beads or particles, will be self-supporting. Furthermore, in addition to the inherent porosity of the sieve, the sintering process will create pores and / or interstitial spaces. This type of configuration can improve efficiency and efficacy of a molecular sieve as a phase separation structure, while also reducing or eliminating the need for the end-user to handle, contain, or manage “loose” molecular sieve beads or particles.

[0151] In embodiments, the system includes provisions for managing the reagent phases post- treatment. This may involve purging or manually removing spent reagents and or reagent treatment media and disposing of these spent materials, temporarily storing them for disposal, or regenerating them for reuse in future treatment cycles. The regeneration unit may restore one or more reagents contributing to the system’s sustainability and efficiency.

[0152] In embodiments, the separation process is configured to separate substantially all of the reagents targeted for removal from the oil. That is, the separation process may separate at least about 75 wt.%, at least about 80 wt.%, at least about 85 wt.%, at least about 90 wt.%, at least about 95 wt.%, at least about 96 wt.%, at least about 97 wt.%, at least about 98 wt.%, at least about 99 wt.%, or about 100 wt.% of the one or more reagents targeted for removal from the oil. Stated differently, treated oil may comprise less than about 25 wt.%, less than about 20 wt.%, less than about 15 wt.%, less than about 10 wt.%, less than about 5 wt.%, less than about 4 wt.%, less than about 3 wt.%, less than about 2 wt.%, less than about 1 wt.%, or about 0 wt.% of the one or more reagents that were targeted for removal from the oil.

[0153] In embodiments, all or a subset of the reagent materials used, and all intermediates and byproducts thereof, are food-safe. As such, separations processes may be bypassed in some applications. For example, the separation process may be bypassed if TPM treatment does not occur. This represents a distinct advantage over conventional techniques, which may require dangerous, difficult, energy -intensive, and / or time-consuming steps. By way of first non- limiting example, methods and systems of the present disclosure may not require filtration of the reagents or a reaction byproduct (e.g., mono-alcohols, fatty acid methyl esters, or other unwanted organic species) from the frying oil. By way of second nonlimiting example, methods and systems of the present disclosure may not necessitate distillation or fractionation of any frying oil species.

[0154] After the treated oil is separated from the one or more reagents, the treated oil may be returned to the original oil reservoir. Additionally or alternatively, the oil may be transferred to a location different from the starting location, such as to a different reservoir, a storage container, etc.

[0155] Distribution and / or treatment systems according to the present disclosure may be permanently or semi-permanently attached to the frying vessel such that the distribution and / or treatment system(s) remain(s) attached to the frying vessel at all (or nearly all) times.

[0156] Alternatively, the distribution and / or treatment system(s) may be moveable such that the distribution and / or treatment system may be moved and attached to the frying reservoir for use and then detached and moved away from the frying reservoir upon completion of an oil treatment for space saving purposes.

[0157] Implementing the system of the present disclosure allows commercial operations to significantly extend the usable life of oil, reduce waste, lower operating costs and minimize safety issues associated with the handling of hot oils. The system’s ability to maintain oil quality may ensure consistent food preparation results and enhance customer satisfaction. The system may further support sustainable practices by reducing the frequency of oil replacement and disposal, aligning with environmental and work safety standards.

[0158] In embodiments, the system of the present disclosure may also incorporate automated food safety and sanitation processes, such as Clean-in-Place (CIP) processes, enabling the end-user to conduct this type of process without having to install or connect a separate piece of equipment, but instead can pump a food-safe sanitizing or cleaning solution through the same inlet port from a reservoir, and where the controller automation circulates the solution throughout the complete system for a predetermined time, temperature, and / or flowrate, before returning the solution back to the reservoir or alternate disposal vessel. This enables end users to easily comply with corporate and / or regulatory food safety requirements without the cost of a service technician having to perform a cleaning service.

[0159] An advantage of the in situ frying oil methods and systems of the present disclosure is that they may allow for either continuous or batch operations. Particularly, in almost all restaurants and commercial frying operations, fryers are left on (z.e., maintaining the frying oil at frying temperature) continuously throughout the business day, and in some industrial or other 24-hour operations for many days on end. Techniques for the mitigation or prevention of oil degradation that require frequent interruptions to the frying operation are therefore unacceptable, or at least inconvenient and disfavored. Because they allow for the reduction of TPM and / or FFA reduction in situ, with no or minimal human intervention once initiated, the methods and systems of the present disclosure address this issue by remaining effective to mitigate or prevent oil degradation without interruption for many consecutive frying “runs,” and in some embodiments essentially indefinitely, or at least for as long as the reagent(s) are not fouled or saturated. In embodiments, continuous operations of the frying operation may be enabled during FFA and / or TPM treatment, for example by providing two volumes of frying oil that may be exchanged as needed (i.e., with one volume of oil being used for the frying operation while another undergoes treatment in the system, such that the volumes of oil can be exchanged when the first volume of oil is ready for treatment). In another example, only a portion of the oil from an oil reservoir may be taken and input to the system. The portion that remains in the reservoir may continue frying operations while the other portion is treated. The treated portion may then be returned to the reservoir.

[0160] Referring now to Figure 1, an embodiment of a method 100 for the in situ reduction in the rate of frying oil degradation is illustrated. Figure 1 refers to the treatment of frying oil by the reduction of FFA and / or TPM compounds.

[0161] Initially, and not depicted, frying oil is placed inside a frying reservoir (e.g., vat, vessel). The frying reservoir may be attached to or detached from the treatment system at the time the oil is added to the frying vessel.

[0162] At step 105, frying oil may be heated and maintained at high temperatures (e.g., 325 °F to 395 °F) for use. The frying oil, due to being heated to a frying temperature and maintained at such temperature for some period (and, optionally, also due to the presence of water molecules in food being fried in the frying oil), degrades by oxidation and hydrolysis reactions to form FFAs and TPMs in the frying oil.

[0163] At step 110, the used oil from the frying reservoir may be input to the treatment system. Prior to step 110, the treatment system is attached to the frying reservoir (either directly or via a distribution system), if not already attached. In embodiments, the used oil may be input to the treatment system based on a time of day, such as at the end of the day, end of working hours, etc. The oil may be input to the system based on quality of the oil. As such, an operator may manually test the oil for degradation and / or a monitor in the frying reservoir may periodically or continuously test the oil for degradation, such as FFA and TPM content. In embodiments, the oil may be sent to the treatment system based on manual input from an operator or automatically (e.g., via a computer program), based on time of day, a set schedule (e.g., every other day at 12 am), manual or program monitoring of the oil degradation, etc.

[0164] At step 115, it may be determined whether FFA treatment is desired. This decision may be made by an operator or be made by a computer program and may be based on time of day, a set schedule (e.g., every other day at 12 am), manual or program monitoring of the oil degradation, etc.

[0165] If the decision at step 115 is yes, then at step 120, FFA treatment is performed.

[0166] At step 125, it may be determined whether to perform FFA treatment again. If the decision at step 125 is yes, then step 120 is performed again. Step 120 and step 125 may be performed until the decision at step 125 is no.

[0167] If or when the decision at step 125 is no, then the process proceeds to step 130 where it is determined whether TPM treatment of the oil is desired.

[0168] If the decision at step 115 is no, and / or if the decision at step 130 is yes, then at step 135, TPM treatment is performed.

[0169] At step 140, it may be determined whether to perform TPM treatment again. If the decision at step 140 is yes, then step 135 is performed again. Step 135 and step 140 may be performed until the decision at step 140 is no.

[0170] If or when the decision at step 140 is no, the oil may proceed to reagent separation at step 145.

[0171] If the decision at step 130 is no or following step 145, the treated oil is returned to the fryer reservoir at step 150.

[0172] At step 155, waste, such as used reagents separated from the treated oil during reagent separation at step 145, may be disposed of, treated, regenerated, recycled, stored for future use, etc.

[0173] Referring now to Figure 2, an embodiment of a method 200 for the in situ reduction in the rate of frying oil degradation is illustrated. At step 205, used oil is moved from an oil reservoir (e.g., a fryer, a filter caddy, a storage container) to the system inlet / outlet. In embodiments, the oil may pass through a strainer to filter particulates (e.g., food particles) from the oil. The strainer may be an attachment to the inlet / outlet port. The strainer may filter out coarse particulates, e.g., particles having a diameter of at least 250 pm (equivalent to approximately 60 mesh). It is to be expressly understood that in many embodiments, it is not necessary for the strainer to perform a “full” oil filtration (i.e., filter out both fine and coarse particulates); additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the used oil may bypass the strainer altogether and be routed by a distribution system directly to a phase separation process, which may be employed as a “fine” oil filtration process. The oil, upon entering the system, may pass through one or more control valves (e.g., a solenoid control valve) and one or more conduits. In embodiments, the oil may also pass through a cooling and / or heating conditioning zone. For example, the oil may enter the system at or near frying temperature. In such cases, the oil may be cooled (e.g., to room temperature or to a temperature that is above room temperature but below frying temperature) prior to treatment. In another example, the oil may cool in the oil reservoir to room temperature, and the oil may be heated to temperature that is above room temperature but below frying temperature) prior to treatment. The temperature of the oil entering FFA and / or TPM treatment may be selected to maximize the effectiveness of the reagents used for FFA and / or TPM treatment.

[0174] In embodiments, the automated control system can monitor and / or detect the cooking oil temperature and determine if the oil is within the optimal range for the one or more FFA and / or TPM treatments, and whether cooling and / or heating is necessary, and further control the actions of the system to ensure the oil temperature is in the established optimal range prior to and during each treatment(s).

[0175] In embodiments, the system described in the present disclosure can have the capacity to perform treatment and full oil filtration in a single vessel. In embodiments, the system described in the present disclosure can have the means and capacity to perform treatment s) and / or full oil filtration within the same system, and within a single vessel or in more than one system vessel.

[0176] At step 210, the oil is pumped through a conduit and continuous flow vessel to fill a treatment zone. The continuous flow vessel may act as an oil accumulating vessel that allows oils to continuously flow through. In embodiments, the feed from the oil reservoir may be turned off, such as upon a certain amount of oil entering the treatment zone and / or flowing through the continuous flow vessel, after a duration of oil flow, etc. The oil may be pumped into the treatment zone via a peristaltic pump, or any other device useful in moving liquid from one location to another.

[0177] In embodiments, optionally between step 210 and optional step 215, the oil can pass through a continuous-flow vessel, where oil can accumulate and continuously flow through the vessel.

[0178] At optional step 215, the oil may proceed to FFA treatment, or may selectively be routed by a distribution system other treatment / process steps (e.g., by way of non-limiting example, the oil may bypass FFA and TPM treatment and be routed to a phase separation zone / process, which may act as a filtering or “polishing” step / process). If the system is set to perform FFA treatment, the used oil will flow through one or more FFA-treatment reagents. In embodiments, the oil may pass through the one or more FFA-treatment reagents more than once which may optimize the reagent reaction. In embodiments, the FFA treatment may be split into multiple sub-treatments. For example, each sub-treatment may be directed to treatment by a distinct type of reagent or mixture of reagents. In another example, multiple sub-treatments may include the same type of reagent or mixture of reagents. FFA treatment may be effective to rebuild oil degradation byproducts, such as FFAs, into triglycerides or otherwise reduce FFAs to delay disposal or replacement of the frying oil. In embodiments, the oil may bypass the FFA treatment.

[0179] At optional step 220, depending on whether the oil incurred FFA treatment at step 215, non-treated oil or FFA-treated oil may proceed to TPM treatment. If the system is set to perform TPM treatment, the oil will flow through one or more TPM-treatment reagents. In embodiments, the oil may pass through the one or more TPM-treatment reagents more than once which may optimize the reagent reaction. In embodiments, the TPM treatment may be split into multiple sub-treatments. For example, each sub-treatment may be directed to treatment by a distinct type of reagent or mixture of reagents. In another example, multiple sub- treatments may include the same type of reagent or mixture of reagents. In embodiments, the oil may bypass the TPM treatment. TPM treatment may be effective to convert and / or adsorb TPMs in the frying oil to delay disposal or replacement of the frying oil.

[0180] FFA-treated oil, TPM-treated oil, and FFA- and TPM-treated oil may be recycled through the FFA and / or TPM treatment one or more times for enhanced treatment and reaction optimization at step 225. After step 225, the FFA- and TPM- treated oil may be returned to the oil reservoir or sent to a reservoir different from the original reservoir, via the same port used in step 205 or via a different port.

[0181] Upon completion of FFA treatment and / or TPM treatment, the oil may be input to phase separation at step 230 to separate the oil from one or more reagent solids using any one or more known separation techniques. The phase separation may be divided into any number of sub- phase separations. For example, a first sub-phase separation may separate the oil from a specific reagent, type of reagent, or size of reagent and a second sub-phase separation may separate the oil from a different specific reagent, type of reagent, or size of reagent. In embodiments, phase separation may be bypassed, such as if the oil only undergoes FFA treatment (and not TPM treatment). In embodiments, one or more reagents and one or more treatment zones may be incorporated into the same vessel in which phase separation takes place.

[0182] At step 235, the solids from the phase separation step 230 may be manually or automatically diverted from the system for further use, processing, recycling, disposal, regeneration, storage. In embodiments, the solids from step 230 may go to disposal regeneration storage.

[0183] At 240, the treated oil (e.g., FFA- and / or TPM-treated and in some embodiments phase- separated oil) may be returned to the oil reservoir or sent to a reservoir different from the original reservoir, via the same port used in step 205 or via a different port.

[0184] Without adequate mitigation, FFA and TPM levels in a frying oil typically rise rapidly during a commercial or industrial frying operation; by way of non-limiting example, the FFA and TPM levels in a frying oil may rise to at least about 2.5 wt.% and at least about 25 wt.%, respectively, within about three to five days of typical frying operations, and if the food being fried is a frozen product with a high protein content (e.g., frozen chicken or other frozen meat), these levels may even be substantially higher (z.e., the oil may degrade even faster). Unmitigated degradation also typically entails undesirable increases in mono- and diglyceride contents and an undesirable decrease in triglyceride content. As a result, in the absence of mitigation of oil degradation, the oil may degrade beyond acceptable regulatory and / or consumer appeal limits in a matter of days or even hours. The methods and systems of the present disclosure thus significantly extend the useful life of frying oils by mitigating, and in many embodiments even reversing and / or remediating, degradation of the oil; particularly, by enabling the efficient and effective treatment of any portion of the used oil, at any desired time interval (e.g., daily, every other day, twice daily, etc.), the methods and systems of the present disclosure allow for completely customizable FFA and TPM treatments that keep FFA and TPM levels below accepted regulatory limits and in ranges that ensure consistent oil quality, and thus quality of the food fried using the frying oil. Similarly, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that methods and systems of the present disclosure enable complete customization of additional frying oil treatment processes and steps, other than, or in addition to, FFA and TPM treatments.

[0185] Methods and systems of the present disclosure may be effective to maintain the FFA content of frying oils at advantageously low levels, and particularly at levels that comply with applicable regulatory requirements and do not adversely affect the quality of the fried food or accelerate autooxidation processes in the oil, for extended periods. In some embodiments, the FFA content of a frying oil to which a device, method, and / or system as disclosed herein is applied is maintained below a certain threshold level, e.g., no more than about 3 wt.% or between about 2 wt.% and about 3 wt.%, for a continuous period of at least about one day, at least about two days, at least about three days, at least about four days, at least about five days, at least about six days, at least about seven days, at least about eight days, at least about nine days, at least about ten days, at least about eleven days, at least about twelve days, at least about thirteen days, at least about fourteen days, at least about fifteen days, at least about sixteen days, at least about seventeen days, at least about eighteen days, at least about nineteen days, at least about twenty days, at least about 21 days, at least about 22 days, at least about 23 days, at least about 24 days, at least about 25 days, at least about 26 days, at least about 27 days, at least about 28 days, at least about 29 days, or at least about 30 days. Notably, the methods and systems of the present disclosure can ensure that FFA levels in the frying oil are maintained at acceptable levels for these extended periods, even though the “treatment time”, z.e., the period during which the oil is actively being treated in an FFA treatment zone, may be only seconds or minutes per treatment.

[0186] Further, methods and systems of the present disclosure may be effective to maintain the TPM content of frying oils at advantageously low levels, and particularly at levels that comply with applicable regulatory requirements and do not adversely affect the quality of the fried food or accelerate autooxidation processes in the oil, for extended periods. In some embodiments, the FFA content of a frying oil to which a device, method, and / or system as disclosed herein is applied is maintained below a certain threshold level, e.g., no more than about 24 or 27 wt.% or between about 24 wt.% and about 27 wt.%, for a continuous period of at least about one day, at least about two days, at least about three days, at least about four days, at least about five days, at least about six days, at least about seven days, at least about eight days, at least about nine days, at least about ten days, at least about eleven days, at least about twelve days, at least about thirteen days, at least about fourteen days, at least about fifteen days, at least about sixteen days, at least about seventeen days, at least about eighteen days, at least about nineteen days, at least about twenty days, at least about 21 days, at least about 22 days, at least about 23 days, at least about 24 days, at least about 25 days, at least about 26 days, at least about 27 days, at least about 28 days, at least about 29 days, or at least about 30 days. Notably, the methods and systems of the present disclosure can ensure that TPM levels in the frying oil are maintained at acceptable levels for these extended periods, even though the “treatment time”, z.e., the period during which the oil is actively being treated in a TPM treatment zone, may be only seconds or minutes per treatment.

[0187] It is expressly noted that while Figures 1 and 2 and other embodiments disclosed herein refer to the treatment of oil, methods and systems of the present disclosure may be utilized to treat other fluids and may be used to reduce content of problematic compounds other than TPMs and FFAs (e.g., mono- and diglycerides), in addition to or as an alternative to reducing TPMs and FFAs.

[0188] Additionally, while Figures 1 and 2 depict a sequence of steps in which FFA treatment occurs first, TPM treatment occurs second, and phase separation occurs third, it should be understood that the steps described in the present disclosure may occur simultaneously or sequentially in any order to optimize the reduction of TPM and FFA molecules and to prolong the usability of an oil. In a non-limiting example, a used oil may first undergo TPM treatment, then phase separation, and then FFA treatment. In another non-limiting example, a used oil may undergo TPM treatment, then FFA treatment, and then separation. In another non-limiting example, a used oil may undergo FFA treatment, then TPM treatment, then separation. In another non-limiting example, a used oil may undergo TPM treatment followed by FFA treatment, or vice versa, before being returned to a reservoir, without separation. Those of ordinary skill in the art will, based on the teachings of the present disclosure, be capable of selecting an optimal or preferred sequence of treatment steps, based on the nature of the oil being treated, the reagent(s) used in each treatment zone, and the like.

[0189] In embodiments, the methods and systems of the present disclosure can enable the complete customization of the treatment parameters (e.g. treatment duration time) that can be tailored to the needs and requirements of each customer or end-user’s operation.

[0190] Referring now to Figure 3, an embodiment of a method 300 for the reduction in the rate of frying oil degradation is illustrated. In initial placement step 301, frying oil is placed inside a frying vessel. In degradation step 302, the frying oil, due to being heated to a frying temperature and maintained at such temperature for some period (and, optionally, also due to the presence of water molecules in food being fried in the frying oil), degrades by oxidation and hydrolysis reactions to form FFAs and TPMs in the frying oil. In optional filtering step 304, the frying oil is filtered to remove food particulates from the oil.. In contact step 305, molecules of oil degradation byproducts (e.g., TPMs) physically contact adsorbent / reagent particles. Step 305 can occur at room temperature or above room temperature, at a pre-determined temperature or temperature range that has been optimized for the particular needs of the operation and the reagent selected. In adsorption step 306, TPMs are adsorbed by the adsorbent / reagent particles and removed from the frying oil. In optional adsorbent / reagent regeneration step 307, the adsorbent / reagent particles are regenerated for re-use. In optional idling step 308 and optional reheating step 309, the frying oil may be cooled (e.g., to room temperature or to a “holding” temperature that is above room temperature but below frying temperature) during an “idle” period and then reheated to resume a frying process. In food cycling step 310, a new batch of food to be fried may be added to the frying oil, and a new frying cycle may thus begin. As illustrated in Figure 3, degradation step 302, optional filtering step 304, adsorbent / reagent contact step 305, adsorption step 306, optional idling step 308, optional reheating step 309, and food cycling step 310 may collectively be repeated any number of times, i.e., the method 300 may be effective to remove TPMs over the course of many consecutive frying cycles without disposal or replacement of the frying oil.

[0191] The method 300 may be effective over the course of several days and may not be required after every frying cycle to effectively reduce TPMs; for example, where the same frying oil is used for many consecutive frying cycles without replacement, TPM levels in the frying oil may be maintained at suitable levels even if the method 300 is employed only after every other frying cycle, or only after every third frying cycle, or only on an ad hoc basis, or only according to a predefined pattern or schedule, etc. Even more particularly, the method 300 need not necessarily be employed as often as, or in conjunction with, a process for filtering insoluble contaminants from the frying oil; by way of non-limiting example, while it is common practice in the food service industry to filter frying oil once or even twice per day, the method 300 may in many embodiments be effective to maintain a sufficiently low content of TPMs in the frying oil even if employed only about once every two days, about once every three days, about once every four days, or about once every five days . By way of non-limiting example, most food frying operations consider frying oil to be “spent,” i.e., its quality to have degraded to the point that it must be discarded, when the TPM content reaches about 24 to 25 wt%, and in some jurisdictions, oil with TPM contents at about this level must be discarded to comply with regulatory requirements; in many applications, these TPM levels are reached, in the absence of any remediation or treatment, after about three days of continual or near-continual frying. In some such applications, therefore, the method 300 may be employed after the third day and / or prior to the fourth day of continual or near-continual frying to reduce the TPM content of the frying oil by about 10 to about 12 wt%, which may then allow the frying oil to be used without further remediation or treatment for at least another day, at least another two days, at least another three days, and / or at least another four days. This cycle of oil use, treatment, and re-use can be repeated at least two times, at least three times, or at least four times, and may therefore extend the usable life of the oil to at least about nine days, an improvement of at least about 200% over the typical usable life of about three days in the absence of any remediation or treatment of the frying oil. It is to be expressly understood that the frequency of application of the method 300 may be varied based on the particular characteristics of an individual food frying operation; for example, where the ratio of the mass of food being fried to the volume of oil is relatively large or the idle / down time between successive frying batches is short or infrequent, the method 300 may be employed every other day or even more frequently, whereas, if the ratio of the mass of food being fried to the volume of oil is relatively small or the idle / down time between successive frying batches is longer or more frequent, the method 300 may only need to employed once every four or five days. In all cases, the general principle is simply that the method 300 may be employed when the TPM content of the frying oil reaches or approaches unacceptable or undesirable levels for the given application; the method 300 is thus flexible in the sense that a person of ordinary skill in the art can readily “tune” the frequency of application of method 300 based on the maximum allowable TPM content of the frying oil, the volume and / or mass of oil in the system, a target extent of TPM reduction with each successive application of the method 300, and so on.

[0192] In some embodiments, depending on the adsorbent / reagent material used in adsorbent / reagent contact step 305 and adsorption / treatment step 306, a temperature at which, or temperature range within which, adsorption of TPMs is maximized (i.e., the binding energy of TPMs to the adsorbent material is high enough for TPMs to be retained by the adsorbent material to the greatest extent possible) may be below frying temperature; by way of non-limiting example, for some combinations of adsorbent material and frying operation considerations, the adsorbent material may be most effective at temperatures of between about 25 °C and about 150 °C (or within any subrange thereof), whereas frying operations may need to be carried out at a temperature of about 170 °C. In these embodiments, adsorbent / reagent contact step 305 and / or adsorption step 306 may be carried out as part of, or take the place of, idling step 308; in other words, the frying oil may contact the adsorbent and / or TPMs may be adsorbed from the frying oil onto the adsorbent material while or after the frying oil is cooled (to room temperature, or to a temperature higher than room temperature but below frying temperature) during an “idle” period. In some embodiments, the frying oil is optionally not cooled and so the temperature of the oil entering the filtering step(s) and / or during the filtering step(s) can be in the range of about room temperature to about frying temperature, or more commonly between temperatures of about 18°C to about 195°C, commonly between about 20°C to about 190°C, commonly between about 25°C to about 190°C, commonly between about 30°C to about 190°C, commonly between about 50°C to about 190°C, commonly between about 70°C to about 190°C, commonly between about 90°C to about 190°C, commonly between about 100°C to about 190°C, or more commonly between about 120 °C to about 190°C. In some embodiments, adsorbent contact step 305 may comprise placing an adsorber / reagent “cartridge” or similar apparatus and / or device comprising the adsorbent material into a frying vessel during an “idle” period where the oil cools before TPMs are adsorbed and captured from the frying oil. The oil can optionally cool during an “idle” period. The adsorber / reagent “cartridge” or similar apparatus and / or device can then be removed from the frying vessel optionally before the oil is then reheated to frying temperature in heating step 309, and the adsorbent material can be regenerated 307 as further described elsewhere throughout this disclosure such that it is ready to be returned to service in another frying cycle. This cycle of adsorbent / reagent placement, activity, removal, and regeneration can be repeated many times with a single adsorber / reagent “cartridge” or similar apparatus and / or device, thereby greatly reducing the quantity of waste generated relative to alternative techniques that utilize disposable single-use adsorbents / reagents.

[0193] Referring now to Figure 4, an embodiment of a method 400 for the reduction in the rate of frying oil degradation is illustrated. In initial placement step 401, frying oil is placed inside a frying vessel. In degradation step 402, the frying oil, due to being heated to a frying temperature and maintained at such temperature for some period (and, optionally, also due to the presence of water molecules in food being fried in the frying oil), degrades by oxidation and hydrolysis reactions to form FFAs and TPMs in the frying oil. In optional oil cooling step 403, the frying oil is cooled to a temperature of between about 25 °C and about 150 °C prior to filtering. In filtering step 404, the frying oil is transferred to a filtration system where the frying oil is filtered to remove food particulates from the oil. In contact step 405, molecules of oil degradation byproducts (e.g., TPMs) physically contact adsorbent particles. In adsorption step 406, TPMs are adsorbed by the adsorbent particles and removed from the frying oil. In optional adsorbent regeneration step 407, the adsorbent particles are regenerated for re-use. In optional idling step 408 and reheating step 409, the frying oil may be cooled (e.g., to room temperature or to a “holding” temperature that is above room temperature but below frying temperature) during an “idle” period and then reheated as necessary to resume a frying process. In food cycling step 410, the frying oil is transferred to the frying vessel and a new batch of food to be fried may be added to the frying oil, and a new frying cycle may thus begin. As illustrated in Figure 4, degradation step 402, optional oil cooling step 403, filtering step 404, adsorbent contact step 405, adsorption step 406, optional idling step 408, reheating step 409, and food cycling step 410 may collectively be repeated any number of times, i.e., the method 400 may be effective to remove TPMs over the course of many consecutive frying cycles without disposal or replacement of the frying oil. Additionally, as illustrated in Figure 4, adsorbent contact step 405 and adsorption step 406 may be repeated any number of times to remove TPMs prior to transfer of the frying oil into the frying vessel.

[0194] The method 400 may be effective over the course of several days and may not be required after every frying cycle to effectively reduce TPMs; for example, where the same frying oil is used for many consecutive frying cycles without replacement, TPM levels in the frying oil may be maintained at suitable levels even if the method 400 is employed only after every other frying cycle, or only after every third frying cycle, or only on an ad hoc basis, or only according to a predefined pattern or schedule, etc. Even more particularly, method 400 need not necessarily be employed as often as, or in conjunction with, a process for filtering insoluble contaminants from the frying oil; by way of non-limiting example, while it is common practice in the food service industry to filter frying oil once or even twice per day, the method 400 may in many embodiments be effective to maintain a sufficiently low content of TPMs in the frying oil even if employed only about once every two days, about once every three days, about once every four days, or about once every five days. By way of non-limiting example, most food frying operations consider frying oil to be “spent,” i.e., its quality to have degraded to the point that it must be discarded, when the TPM content reaches about 24 to 25 wt%, and in some jurisdictions, oil with TPM contents at about this level must be discarded to comply with regulatory requirements; in many applications, these TPM levels are reached, in the absence of any remediation or treatment, after about three days of continual or near-continual frying. In some such applications, therefore, the method 400 may be employed after the third day and / or prior to the fourth day of continual or near-continual frying to reduce the TPM content of the frying oil by about 10 to about 12 wt%, which may then allow the frying oil to be used without further remediation or treatment for at least another day, at least another two days, at least another three days, and / or at least another four days. This cycle of oil use, treatment, and re-use can be repeated at least two times, at least three times, or at least four times, and may therefore extend the usable life of the oil to at least about nine days, an improvement of at least about 200% over the typical usable life of about three days in the absence of any remediation or treatment of the frying oil.

[0195] It is to be expressly understood that the frequency of application of the method 400 may be varied based on the particular characteristics of an individual food frying operation; for example, where the ratio of the mass of food being fried to the volume of oil is relatively large or the idle / down time between successive frying batches is short or infrequent, the method 400 may be employed every other day or even more frequently, whereas, if the ratio of the mass of food being fried to the volume of oil is relatively small or the idle / down time between successive frying batches is longer or more frequent, the method 400 may only need to employed once every four or five days. In all cases, the general principle is simply that the method 400 may be employed when the TPM content of the frying oil reaches or approaches unacceptable or undesirable levels for the given application; the method 400 is thus flexible in the sense that a person of ordinary skill in the art can readily “tune” the frequency of application of method 400 based on the maximum allowable TPM content of the frying oil, the volume and / or mass of oil in the system, a target extent of TPM reduction with each successive application of the method 400, and so on.

[0196] Treatment System / Device

[0197] The methods and systems of the present disclosure enable reduction in the rate of frying oil degradation primarily by mitigating accumulation of and / or reducing the content of TPMs in the used frying oil, which are continuously generated within the frying oil when the oil is heated to frying temperature (both during the frying of food and during “idle” or “down” time of a frying vessel), using an adsorbent material. The treatment system is part of an active system (i.e., not passive system) because it removes non-filterable, oil-soluble, degraded oil molecules (i.e., TPMs) by attracting and retaining the degraded oil molecules. Particularly, the treatment system of the present disclosure takes advantage of the fact that TPMs, by virtue of their polarity, have an affinity for adsorption onto hydrophilic substrates; thus, the treatment system / zone(s) includes a TPM adsorbent material comprising a hydrophilic surface in contact with the frying oil, onto which TPMs in the oil can adsorb and thereby be removed from the oil.

[0198] The goal of the present disclosure is not necessarily to reduce the total amount of TPMs within the frying oil to zero, although in some embodiments the TPM content of a frying oil may be reduced below detectable levels. Rather, a reasonable level of TPMs has been proven to be helpful in achieving the texture and ideal flavor of fried foods. An acceptable, or even desirable, range of TPMs within the used fryer oil may in some embodiments be between about 5 wt.% to about 20 wt.%. However, when TPM levels exceed about 23 wt.%, and even more particularly about 25 wt.%, food quality is rapidly and negatively impacted and oil degradation accelerates if TPMs are not mitigated. As the oil degrades and exceeds acceptable TPM levels, fried food items will absorb greater amounts of oil, become less crispy, absorb rancidity flavors, have darker / undesirable brown color, and contain more compounds that can be unhealthy for the consumer. Thus, a system that provides a means for maintaining the TPMs in the fryer oil within a range of 5% to 20% is needed.

[0199] Without adequate mitigation, FFA and TPM levels in a frying oil typically rise rapidly during a commercial or industrial frying operation; by way of non-limiting example, the FFA and TPM levels in a frying oil may rise to at least about 2.5 wt% and at least about 25 wt%, respectively, within about three days of typical frying operations, and if the food being fried is a frozen product with a high protein content (e.g., frozen chicken or other frozen meat), these levels may even be substantially higher (i.e., the oil may degrade even faster). As a result, in the absence of mitigation of oil degradation, the oil may degrade beyond acceptable regulatory and / or consumer appeal limits in a matter of days or even hours. The methods and systems of the present disclosure thus significantly extend the useful life of frying oils by mitigating, and in many embodiments even reversing and / or remediating, degradation of the oil.

[0200] The goal of the present disclosure is not necessarily to reduce the total amount of TPMs within the frying oil to zero, although in some embodiments the TPM content of a frying oil may be reduced below detectable levels. Rather, a reasonably low level of TPMs has been proven to be helpful in achieving the texture and ideal flavor of many fried foods. An acceptable, or even desirable, range of TPMs within the used fryer oil may in some embodiments be between about 5 wt.% and about 20 wt.%. However, when TPM levels exceed about 23 wt.%, and even more particularly about 25 wt.%, food quality is rapidly and negatively impacted and oil degradation accelerates if TPMs are not mitigated. As the oil degrades and exceeds acceptable TPM levels, fried food items will absorb greater amounts of oil, become less crispy, absorb rancidity flavors, have darker / undesirable brown color, and contain more compounds that can be unhealthy for the consumer. Thus, a system that provides a means for maintaining the TPMs in the fryer oil within a range of 5 wt.% to 20 wt.% is needed. The present disclosure provides a system that is capable of achieving maintenance of TPM levels in the frying oil in the optimal zone, e.g., no more than about 23 wt.%, or between about 1 wt. % and about 23 wt. %, or between about 5 wt.% and about 20 wt.%, for no less than three days, and ideally at least about four days, at least about five days, at least about six days, at least about seven days, at least about eight days, at least about nine days, at least about ten days, at least about eleven days, at least about twelve days, at least about thirteen days, at least about fourteen days, at least about fifteen days, at least about sixteen days, at least about seventeen days, at least about eighteen days, at least about nineteen days, at least about twenty days, at least about 21 days, at least about 22 days, at least about 23 days, at least about 24 days, at least about 25 days, at least about 26 days, at least about 27 days, at least about 28 days, at least about 29 days, or at least about 30 days, of continuous and / or cyclical frying operations.

[0201] In some embodiments, the treatment system / zone(s) may be adapted or configured for daily use, but, additionally or alternatively, the treatment system / zone(s) may not require daily use. Particularly, in some embodiments, to maintain TPM levels in the frying oil in the optimal zone, e.g., no more than about 23 wt.%, or between about 1 wt.% and about 23 wt.%, or between about 5 wt.% and about 20 wt.%, for no less than three days of continuous and / or cyclical frying operations, the treatment system / zone(s) may not need to be utilized more frequently than once every two days, once every three days, once every four days, once every five days, once every six days, or once every seven days.

[0202] The methods and systems of the present disclosure represent an important and significant advance over the current state of the art in that they enable maintenance of optimal levels of TPMs within the frying oil for a significant period of time by utilizing dynamic flow and / or agitation to ensure that the maximum amount of frying oil is contacted by the treatment system during each use of the treatment system.

[0203] Another advantage of the treatment system of the present disclosure compared to previous techniques for managing the TPM content of frying oils is that the adsorbent may be a regenerable adsorbent, rather than a disposable or single-use adsorbent, upon which previous adsorption techniques have generally relied. The adsorbents used in treatment systems according to the present disclosure may be regenerable — that is, once the adsorption surfaces of the adsorbent becomes saturated with TPMs, the TPMs can readily be removed from the adsorption surface for disposal or downstream processing and the adsorbent can then be returned to service in the frying operation. This feature significantly reduces the quantity of waste generated by the adsorption sub-system relative to conventional processes for managing TPM content.

[0204] Still another advantage of the treatment system of the present disclosure compared to previous techniques is the ability to adsorb polar materials from the frying oil without absorbing and / or retaining excess viable, non-degraded oil present within the fryer, referred to as excess oil; by way of non-limiting example, where the treatment system reduces the TPM content of a 30-pound mass of frying oil by 10 wt% ( / .< ., by adsorbing three pounds of TPMs), any mass of oil compounds other than TPMs that is adsorbed by the treatment system would be considered “excess” oil. In some embodiments, the amount of “excess oil” ( / .< ., non-TPM compounds) adsorbed from the oil by the treatment system may be no more than about 50%, no more than about 45%, no more than about 40%, no more than about 35%, no more than about 30%, no more than about 25%, no more than about 20%, no more than about 15%, no more than about 10%, no more than about 5%, no more than about 4%, no more than about 3%, no more than about 2%, or no more than about 1% of the mass of TPMs adsorbed by the treatment system.

[0205] Yet another advantage of the treatment system of the present disclosure compared to previous techniques is allowing for optimization of the adsorbent material and treatment system parameters to achieve sufficient TPM reduction in view of unique operational conditions, such as fryer size, oil volume usage, frequency of filtration operations, operating hours, temperature of oil during and / or after oil filtration steps, automatic vs manual filtration, type of oil used, etc.

[0206] Yet another advantage of the treatment system of the present disclosure compared to previous techniques is eliminating or reducing the need for “frying powders” that are conventionally used to remove impurities from used frying oil. Such powders tend to be messy and difficult to integrate into normal frying operations, and present safety concerns to both consumers of foods fried in the frying oil (because fry powder may remain in the oil after filtration and be ingested by the consumer) and employees / operators of the frying process / system (because the loose powder may be inhaled by the operator or come into contact with the operator’s skin). By maintaining TPMs at a suitably low level without the need for such powders, the treatment systems of the present disclosure improve the cleanliness, efficiency, and safety of commercial frying operations.

[0207] Process parameters

[0208] To maximize efficacy and efficiency of TPM removal / mitigation in fryer oils, it is preferable in many embodiments that the maximum amount of oil is caused to flow through the treatment system, in such a way that the maximum amount of oil comes in direct contact with the adsorbent material, while not retaining a high volume or mass of the excess oil in the treatment system after use or between uses. It is further preferable that the treatment system allows non-polar / non-degraded oil materials to pass through and be fully recovered for re-use.

[0209] Meeting desired FFA and TPM contents as well extending the useable life of an oil are important process objectives and skilled artisans can, using the teachings disclosed herein, select appropriate TPM and FFA reagents and an appropriate set of process conditions for achieving these objectives. By way of non-limiting example, a skilled artisan can select a desired reagent or combination of reagents, as well as a reagent concentration, frying operation process parameters (e.g., frying temperature, ratio of glycerol to fatty acids in the frying oil, etc.), and reagent structures, to achieve combinations of various process objectives (e.g., triglyceride yield, fatty acid composition of the frying oil, etc.).

[0210] Where a reagent is provided as a coating of a structured substrate ( / .< ., as a “structured” reagent), the combined mass of the reagent and substrate for treatment as a percentage of the amount of oil in the treatment system at any given time ((structured reagent) / (mass of oil)) can be from about 3 wt.% to about 95 wt.%, or alternatively in any range having a lower bound of any tenth of a precent from about 4 wt.% to about 95 wt.% and an upper bound of any other twentieth of a weight percent from about 4 wt.% to about 95 wt.%. The combined mass of the reagent and substrate may, in some such embodiments, be about , about 3 wt.%, about 4 wt.%, about 5 wt.%, about 6 wt.%, about 7 wt.%, about 8 wt.%, about 9 wt.%, about 10 wt.%, about 11 wt.%, about 12 wt.%, about 13 wt.%, about 14 wt.%, about 15 wt.%, about 16 wt.%, about 17 wt.%, about 18 wt.%, about 19 wt.%, about 20 wt.%, about 21 wt.%, about 22 wt.%, about 23 wt.%, about 24 wt.%, about 25 wt.%, about 26 wt.%, about 27 wt.%, about 28 wt.%, about 29 wt.%, about 30 wt.%, about 31 wt.%, about 32 wt.%, about 33 wt.%, about 34 wt.%, about 35 wt.%, about 36 wt.%, about 37 wt.%, about 38 wt.%, about 39 wt.%, about 40 wt.%, about 41 wt.%, about 42 wt.%, about 43 wt.%, about 44 wt.%, about 45 wt.%, about 46 wt.%, about 47 wt.%, about 48 wt.%, about 49 wt.%, about 50 wt.%, about 51 wt.%, about 52 wt.%, about 53 wt.%, about 54 wt.%, about 55 wt.%, about 56 wt.%, about 57 wt.%, about 58 wt.%, about 59 wt.%, 60 wt.%, about 61 wt.%, about 62 wt.%, about 63 wt.%, about 64 wt.%, about 65 wt.%, about 66 wt.%, about 67 wt.%, about 68 wt.%, about 69 wt.%, about 70 wt.%, about 71 wt.%, about 72 wt.%, about 73 wt.%, about 74 wt.%, about 75 wt.%, about 76 wt.%, about 77 wt.%, about 78 wt.%, about 79 wt.%, about 80 wt.%, about 81 wt.%, about 82 wt.%, about 83 wt.%, about 84 wt.%, about 85 wt.%, about 86 wt.%, about 87 wt.%, about 88 wt.%, about 89 wt.%, about 90 wt.%, about 91 wt.%, about 92 wt.%, about 93 wt.%, about 94 wt.%, about or about 95 wt.% of the mass of the oil in the treatment system at any given time, or any value lying between any two of these values.

[0211] Additionally or alternatively, the weight percent of a structured reagent as a total of the sum of the reagent and the oil at any given time (reagent / (reagent + oil)) can be from about 5 wt.% to about 70 wt.%, or alternatively in any range having a lower bound of any tenth of a percent from about 5 wt.% to about 70 wt.% and an upper bound of any other twentieth of a weight percent from about 5 wt.% to about 70 wt.% and an upper bound of any other twentieth of a weight percent from about 5 wt.% to about 70 wt.%. The combined mass of the reagent and substrate as a fraction of the total mass of the reagent, substrate, and oil can be about 5 wt.%, about 6 wt.%, about 7 wt.%, about 8 wt.%, about 9 wt.%, about 10 wt.%, about 11 wt.%, about 12 wt.%, about 13 wt.%, about 14 wt.%, about 15 wt.%, about 16 wt.%, about 17 wt.%, about 18 wt.%, about 19 wt.%, about 20 wt.%, about 21 wt.%, about 22 wt.%, about 23 wt.%, about 24 wt.%, about 25 wt.%, about 26 wt.%, about 27 wt.%, about 28 wt.%, about 29 wt.%, about 30 wt.%, about 31 wt.%, about 32 wt.%, about 33 wt.%, about 34 wt.%, about 35 wt.%, about 36 wt.%, about 37 wt.%, about 38 wt.%, about 39 wt.%, about 40 wt.%, about 41 wt.%, about 42 wt.%, about 43 wt.%, about 44 wt.%, about 45 wt.%, about 46 wt.%, about 47 wt.%, about 48 wt.%, about 49 wt.%, about 50 wt.%, about 51 wt.%, about 52 wt.%, about 53 wt.%, about 54 wt.%, about 55 wt.%, about 56 wt.%, about 57 wt.%, about 58 wt.%, about 59 wt.%, about 60 wt.%, about 61 wt.%, about 62 wt.%, about 63 wt.%, about 64 wt.%, about 65 wt.%, about 66 wt.%, about 67 wt.%, about 68 wt.%, about 69 wt.%, or about 70 wt.% of the total mass of the reagent, substrate, and oil.

[0212] Additionally or alternatively, the concentration of the reagent alone in the oil ( / .< ., the mass of only the reagent coating, not including the mass of the substrate, expressed as a percentage of the total mass of oil in the treatment system at a given time) may be from about 0.05 wt.% to about 5 wt.%, or alternatively in any range having a lower bound of any twentieth of a weight percent from 0.05 wt.% to 5 wt.% and an upper bound of any other twentieth of a weight percent from 0.05 wt.% to 5 wt.%. The concentration of the reagent in the oil may in some such embodiments be about 0.05 wt.%, about 0.1 wt.%, about 0.15 wt.%, about 0.2 wt.%, about 0.25 wt.%, about 0.3 wt.%, about 0.35 wt.%, about 0.4 wt.%, about 0.45 wt.%, about 0.5 wt.%, about 0.55 wt.%, about 0.6 wt.%, about 0.65 wt.%, about 0.7 wt.%, about 0.75 wt.%, about 0.8 wt.%, about 0.85 wt.%, about 0.9 wt.%, about 0.95 wt.%, about 1 wt.%, about 1.05 wt.%, about 1.1 wt.%, about 1.15 wt.%, about 1.2 wt.%, about 1.25 wt.%, about 1.3 wt.%, about 1.35 wt.%, about 1.4 wt.%, about 1.45 wt.%, about 1.5 wt.%, about 1.6 wt.%, about 1.7 wt.%, about 1.8 wt.%, about 1.9 wt.%, about 2 wt.%, about 2.1 wt.%, about 2.2 wt.%, about 2.3 wt.%, about 2.4 wt.%, about 2.5 wt.%, about 2.6 wt.%, about 2.7 wt.%, about 2.8 wt.%, about 2.9 wt.%, about 3 wt.%, about 3.1 wt.%, about 3.2 wt.%, about 3.3 wt.%, about 3.4 wt.%, about 3.5 wt.%, about 3.6 wt.%, about 3.7 wt.%, about 3.8 wt.%, about 3.9 wt.%, about 4 wt.%, about 4.1 wt.%, about 4.2 wt.%, about 4.3 wt.%, about 4.4 wt.%, about 4.5 wt.%, about 4.6 wt.%, about 4.7 wt.%, about 4.8 wt.%, about 4.9 wt.%, or about 5 wt.%, or any value lying between any two of these values.

[0213] In embodiments of the methods and systems of the present disclosure, any one or more reagents used for FFA treatment, TPM treatment, or both may be provided in the form of free particles without an underlying substrate ( / .< ., as an “unstructured” or “bulk” reagent). Where a reagent is provided in the form of free particles without an underlying substrate ( / .< ., as an “unstructured” or “bulk” reagent), the concentration of the reagent in the oil ( / .< ., the mass of the reagent expressed as a percentage of the total mass of oil in the treatment system at a given time) may be from about 1 wt.% to about 25 wt.%, or alternatively in any range having a lower bound of any twentieth of a weight percent from 1 wt.% to 25 wt.% and an upper bound of any other twentieth of a weight percent from 1 wt.% to 25 wt.%. The concentration of the reagent in the oil may in some such embodiments be about 1 wt.%, about 1.5 wt.%, about 2 wt.%, about 2.5 wt.%, about 3 wt.%, about 3.5 wt.%, about 4 wt.%, about 4.5 wt.%, about 5 wt.%, about 5.5 wt.%, about 6 wt.%, about 6.5 wt.%, about 7 wt.%, about 7.5 wt.%, about 8 wt.%, about 8.5 wt.%, about 9 wt.%, about 9.5 wt.%, about 10 wt.%, about 10.5 wt.%, about 11 wt.%, about 11.5 wt.%, about 12 wt.%, about 12.5 wt.%, about 13 wt.%, about 13.5 wt.%, about 14 wt.%, about 14.5 wt.%, about 15 wt.%, about 15.5 wt.%, about 16 wt.%, about 16.5 wt.%, about 17 wt.%, about 17.5 wt.%, about 18 wt.%, about 18.5 wt.%, about 19 wt.%, about 19.5 wt.%, about 20 wt.%, about 20.5 wt.%, about 21 wt.%, about 21.5 wt.%, about 22 wt.%, about 22.5 wt.%, about 23 wt.%, about 23.5 wt.%, about 24 wt.%, about 24.5 wt.%, or about 25 wt.%, or any value lying between any two of these values.

[0214] In embodiments of the methods and systems of the present disclosure, an operating temperature ( / .< ., the temperature of the oil throughout FFA treatment, throughout TPM treatment, and / or throughout phase separation) may be from about 20 °C to about 200 °C, or alternatively in any range having a lower bound of any whole number of degrees Celsius from 20 °C to 200 °C and an upper bound of any other whole number of degrees Celsius from 20 °C to 200 °C. An “optimal” operating temperature will generally depend on the chemical composition of the reagent(s) used and its physical structure.

[0215] In some embodiments according to the present disclosure, a frying device and / or a system of the present disclosure may include functional and / or supportive components that are external to any oil vessels but are still interconnected to and integral with other components of the frying device and / or system. Non-limiting examples of such functional and / or supportive components electronics, sensors, warning systems, data generation devices, wireless communication devices, motors, and the like. In view of the present disclosure, those skilled in the art will understand how to select and incorporate such functional and / or supportive components into frying devices and / or systems according to embodiments of the present disclosure to provide additional operational efficiencies and quality control points.

[0216] To maximize efficacy and efficiency of TPM and / or FFA removal / mitigation in fryer oils, it is preferable in many embodiments that the maximum amount of oil is caused to flow through the treatment system, in such a way that the maximum amount of oil comes in direct contact with the adsorbent material, while not retaining a high volume or mass of the excess oil in the treatment system after use or between uses. It is further preferable that the treatment system allows non-polar / non-degraded oil materials to pass through and be fully recovered for re-use.

[0217] In many embodiments, an adsorbent sitting statically within the fryer vessel will not achieve sufficient diffusion or flow of the degraded oil around, and in direct contact with, the adsorbent to the extent needed to sufficiently reduce TPM and / or FFA levels and / or achieve a desirably reduced and / or optimal content of TPMs and / or FFAs in the frying oil. Additionally, convective flow generated by temperature gradients in the fryer vessel are not always sufficient to achieve enough contact between the adsorbent and the used fryer oil to make any notable difference in TPM and / or FFA levels.

[0218] Thus, the present inventors have determined that dynamic flow and / or agitation of the oil about the adsorbent material is required, in many embodiments, to achieve the desired results in TPM reduction via adsorption, regardless of whether a physical or chemical adsorbent is used. Static exposure of the used fryer oil to the adsorbent results in a net reduction of TPMs of no more than about 1 wt.% of the total weight of the frying oil, on average. However, if, by inducing flow of the oil (e.g., by fluidization, mechanical agitation, blending of various particle sizes of sorbent, addition of anti-caking agents, mixing oleophilic and / or oleophobic particles, or any combination thereof), the majority of the used oil is caused to come into contact with the molecular adsorbent material, and a large net reduction of TPM and / or FFA levels, ranging in some embodiments for TPM reduction between about 4 wt.% and about 15 wt.% of the total weight of the frying oil, can be achieved within a relatively short time after the treatment system is deployed in the oil; this time is in many embodiments no more than about 60 minutes, and in some embodiments may be as low as 1 minute.

[0219] In some embodiments, the FFA and / or TPM reagents of the present system will come into contact with at least about 50% of the total volume of the used frying oil during a single use or application of the treatment system. In some embodiments, the adsorbent of the present system will come into contact with at least about 55%, at least about 60%, at least about 65%, at least about 70%, at least about 75%, at least about 76%, at least about 77%, at least about 78%, at least about 79%, at least about 80%, at least about 81%, at least about 82%, at least about 83%, at least about 84%, at least about 85%, at least about 86%, at least about 87%, at least about 88%, at least about 89%, at least about 90%, at least about 91%, at least about 92%, at least about 93%, at least about 94%, at least about 95%, at least about 96%, at least about 97%, at least about 98%, at least about 99%, or substantially all of the total volume of the used frying oil. While contact of the entirety of the used oil with the molecular adsorbent is not always achievable, the present inventors have found that contact of 50 - 70% of the total oil volume with the adsorbent material results in a net TPM reduction of at least about 4 wt.%, and more typically at least about 5 wt.% or at least about 6 wt.% and / or a net FFA reduction of at least about 0.5 wt.%, at least about 1.0 wt.%, or at least about 2.5 wt.%. When the treatment system disclosed herein is used in combination with a catalytic re-esterification system disclosed in PCT Application Publication 2023 / 168322 and / or U.S. Patent Application Publication 2023 / 0276818, net TPM accumulation rates in the frying oil may be negative (i.e., the TPM content of the oil may decrease over time) or at least significantly reduced compared to the rate of TPM generation / accumulation in the frying oil due to thermal oxidation reactions during frying operations in the absence of the treatment system. Thus, by employing the FFA and / or TPM reagents in one or more treatment zones of the present disclosure, the TPM and / or FFA levels of the frying oil can be maintained within the ideal range for a prolonged period of continuous and / or cyclical frying operations, e.g., at least about three days, at least about four days, at least about five days, at least about six days, at least about seven days, at least about eight days, at least about nine days, at least about ten days, at least about eleven days, at least about twelve days, at least about thirteen days, at least about fourteen days, at least about fifteen days, at least about sixteen days, at least about seventeen days, at least about eighteen days, at least about nineteen days, at least about twenty days, at least about 21 days, at least about 22 days, at least about 23 days, at least about 24 days, at least about 25 days, at least about 26 days, at least about 27 days, at least about 28 days, at least about 29 days, or at least about 30 days. In some embodiments, to maximize efficacy and efficiency, the used frying oil may be treated by filtering of solid particulates prior to contact with the treatment system to help reduce the amount of non-oil-soluble, filterable particulates that can interfere with the effectiveness of the adsorbent material.

[0220] TPM and / or FFA reduction devices and systems contemplated by this disclosure do not necessarily need to be used daily, but by way of non-limiting example can be configured to be used six times weekly, five times weekly, four times weekly, three times, twice weekly, or once weekly while still maintaining TPM levels in the frying oil in the zone below about 23 wt.%, particularly between about 1 wt.% and about 23 wt.% and more particularly between about 5 wt.% and about 20 wt.% and / or still maintaining FFA levels in the frying oil in the zone below about 2.7 wt.%, particularly between about 0.5 wt.% and about 2.7 wt.%, and more particularly between about 0.9 wt.% to about 2.5 wt.%.

[0221] To ensure the FFA and / or TPM reagents in one or more treatment zones of the treatment system contact at least 50% of the frying oil during any single application / use of the treatment system, the treatment zone can be configured in a number of ways. The current disclosure contemplates particular embodiments that can achieve this objective, including but not limited to the following examples.

[0222] By way of first non-limiting example, the reagent device / system may be adapted or configured to be placed into the gravity-fed flow path of oil during or after oil filtration operations, in such a way that at least about 50% of the used oil flows through the device / system and comes into direct contact with the adsorbent.

[0223] Additionally or alternatively, by way of second non-limiting example, the reagent device / system may incorporate physical features, such as large openings, to allow for the degraded / used oil to easily flow through the device / system and make contact with the adsorbent, while also providing a means for keeping the relatively small particles of the adsorbent from escaping out of the device and contaminating the frying oil.

[0224] Additionally or alternatively, by way of third non-limiting example, the reagentdevice / system may comprise one or more kinetic energy storage mechanisms and / or linear and / or rotational electromechanical mechanisms to which an adsorbent device / cartridge is mounted to in such a way that the adsorbent device / cartridge moves and / or rotates through the used oil to enable at least about 50% of the used oil to flow through the adsorbent device / cartridge and come into direct contact with the adsorbent material.

[0225] Additionally or alternatively, by way of fourth non-limiting example, the reagent device / system may comprise one or more self-contained electro-mechanical devices that generate a desired flow pattern within the used oil and thus cause the used oil to flow through the adsorption device / system and come into direct contact with the adsorbent material.

[0226] Additionally or alternatively, by way of fifth non-limiting example, the reagent device / system may have neutral buoyancy within the frying oil and thus ensure contact with at least about 50% of the used frying oil by virtue of its own floating movement through the volume of oil in a vessel containing used oil.

[0227] Additionally or alternatively, by way of sixth non-limiting example, the treatment zone(s) may comprise a means for pumping, or otherwise drawing and moving, the frying oil into contact with the molecular adsorbent / reagent material, whether by positive pressure or negative pressure (e.g., application of a vacuum) and whether actuated manually or automatically.

[0228] In some embodiments, maximizing the extent of contact between the used frying oil and the adsorbent material may also be accomplished by utilizing nano-structured composite reagents with large surface areas. By way of non-limiting example, a nano- structured adsorber / reagent may comprise a monolithic “honeycomb” body with multiple, substantially parallel, oil flow-through channels, and / or an open-cell ceramic solid foam structure with channels comprising a plurality of randomly sized and oriented open and closed pores to increase surface area and reduce flow resistance. Porosity of these structures can range from large openings, e.g. about 10 pores / inch (ppi), to much smaller openings, e.g. between about 90 ppi and about 10,000 ppi. Reagents

[0229] Reagents of the present disclosure may include but are not limited to Lewis acid catalysts, structured catalysts, ion exchange resins, silica gels, zeolites, magnesium silicate, calcium silicate, other clay minerals (such as, but not limited to, bentonite, Na- montmorillonite, Ca-montmorillonite, other montmorillonites, attapulgite, palygorskite, sepiolite, and combinations thereof, where the clays can be in either non-activated or organically modified forms or in combination of those forms), activated charcoal and / or carbon, magnesium phosphate, metal carbonates, alkali catalysts, activated alumina, molecular sieves, chitosan, functionalized carbon nanomaterials (including, but not limited to, graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), polyoxometalates (POMs), hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, and combinations thereof. Some of reagents may, but need not, require further phase separation when used. The reagents of the present disclosure may be contacted with the oil in a liquid, solid, or gas phase, or a combination thereof. Embodiments of the methods and systems disclosed herein may provide a reagent homogeneously with the frying oil (that is, with the reagent and the frying oil substantially as a single phase, / .< ., wherein the reagent is substantially completely dissolved within the liquid frying oil). In other embodiments, one or more reagents may be heterogeneous (that is, in a liquid or, more commonly, solid phase separate from the liquid frying oil). Heterogeneous reagents for use in the practice of the methods and systems of the present disclosure may be provided in structured form, or in unstructured form (i.e. as a “bulk” or “free” material not affixed to any structure or substrate, which may in some embodiments have a particle size of about 5 pm to about 5 mm), but may also be provided in structured form (i.e. affixed to the surface of a supporting structure or substrate). Parameters relating to the chemical composition and physical structure of the reagent may be controlled, designed, optimized, selected, and / or tuned to provide desired characteristics of the FFA and / or TPM treatment processes.

[0230] In embodiments, the method may further comprise, prior to the reagent being used in a treatment system, subjecting at least one of the one or more reagents to a pretreatment selected from the group consisting of dehydrating, drying, heating, cooling, application of ultraviolet light, application of electric current, plasma treatment, hydroxylation, chemical functionalization with surface groups, and combinations thereof. The pretreatment, or functionalization, can take place in a separate apparatus and / or operation that can be, but need not be, a part of the treatment system in the present disclosure. One important parameter of solid reagents suitable for use in the methods and systems of the present disclosure may be the effective surface area of the reagent, / .< ., the total surface area of the reagent that is, or can be, in direct contact with the frying oil. The total surface area of solid reagent particles has an important effect on reaction rate, and in general, for a given mass of reagent, the smaller the reagent particle size, the larger the effective surface area. In some embodiments, the effective surface area of the reagent may be maximized by providing the reagent in structured form; a well-designed supporting structure or substrate may prevent or mitigate agglomeration and / or sintering of small reagent particles, thereby exposing a greater surface area of the reagent to the frying oil and increasing the specific activity of the reagent. Particularly, to enhance the effective surface area of the supported reagent and / or enhance the adhesion of reagent particles on the surface thereof (and thus facilitate stability, as that term is defined herein, of the supported reagent), the structure or substrate may have any suitable surface texture, e.g., smooth, nano-scale roughness, micro-scale roughness, porous or non- porous, etc. It is important, however, that maximization of the effective surface area of the reagent and other spatial considerations of the reagent and / or supporting structure or substrate do not undermine or come at the expense of the chemical stability of the reagent under conditions of the present disclosure.

[0231] While in some embodiments the support may merely be a structure or substrate to a surface of which the reagent is affixed, in other embodiments the reagent and the support may chemically interact to affect the reagent reaction. Providing a supporting structure or substrate that itself has a high surface area-to-volume ratio may further enhance the effective surface area of the reagent. In some embodiments, the reagent may be provided as a coating, or otherwise affixed to a surface, of a replaceable component of a device, system, or vessel, such that, in this way, when the component reaches the end of its useful life, it may be replaced with a new component that likewise includes the reagent, thereby ensuring regular replacement of the reagent.

[0232] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the reagent may be provided as a coating on any oil-facing surface of a device and / or vessel in a treatment zone, e.g., interior surfaces of pipes and other structures of the system, etc.

[0233] Another parameter for consideration of reagents suitable for use in the methods and systems of the present disclosure is the diffusion profile of the reagent and / or of the structure or substrate on which the reagent is supported. In embodiments, the pore sizes of reagent particles may range as from as small as about 4 A (0.4 nm) to as large as about 1,500 pm, or alternatively in any range having a lower bound of any whole number of angstroms from 4 A to 1,500 gm and an upper bound of any other whole number of angstroms from 4 A to 1,500 gm. In some substrate configurations (e.g., wire meshes in which the reagent is present as a coating on the wire substrate material), the pore size of the supporting substrate / structure (e.g., the space between strands of the wire mesh), may range from as small as about 0.25 mm to as large as about 25 mm, or alternatively in any range having a lower bound of any quarter of a whole number of millimeters from 0.25 mm to 25 mm and an upper bound of any other quarter of a whole number of millimeters from 0.25 mm to 25 mm. In some embodiments, e.g., where the reagent is present as a coating on a plurality of glass beads or other small non-porous (and usually spherical or approximately spherical) objects, diffusion of the reactant molecules in the frying oil may occur through the spaces between each object; in these embodiments, the diameter of each non-porous object may be selected so as to ensure a desired surface area per volume and / or mass of reagent -coated objects, while still allowing diffusion of the reactant molecules in the frying oil around, and through the spaces between, the objects.

[0234] Still another important parameter of reagents suitable for use in the methods and systems of the present disclosure is the chemical and thermal durability of the reagents and / or of the structure or substrate on which the reagent is supported. Particularly, because the reagents are used in the frying of foods for human consumption, it is generally highly desirable that materials of the reagent and of any supporting structure or substrate have no or low toxicity, do not decompose into toxic byproducts at temperatures used in the system, and are insoluble or poorly soluble in the frying oil such that they do not leach into the frying oil in amounts that exceed those generally recognized as safe.

[0235] In some substrate embodiments, the supporting substrate / structure can be made of non-woven materials comprising food-safe natural and / or synthetic fibers. The thickness of the non-woven materials can be between at least about 0.1 mm to about 60 mm, at least about 0.15 mm to about 55 mm, at least about 0.17 mm to about 52 mm, or even more commonly between about 0.2 mm and about 50 mm. The micron capture rating of the supporting substrate / structure can be from about 0.1 microns to about 2,500 microns, from about 0.2 microns to about 2,400 microns, from about 0.3 microns to about 2,300 microns, from about 0.4 microns to about 2,200 microns, or even more commonly from about 0.5 microns to about 2,000 microns.

[0236] In some substrate embodiments, the supporting substrate / structure can be made of or from a molecular sieve. The molecular sieve can be manufactured using a pressingsintering process, or any other process known to the art to improve the structure and the strength of the sieve by agglomerating and / or sintering powders.

[0237] In embodiments, molecular sieving with selective membranes can be used, in addition to or instead of using reagent(s), to treat FFA and / or TPM. Using molecular sieves leverages size exclusion and polarity-based interactions to remove FFAs and TPMs from cooking oil, offering high selectivity and continuous operation. Still another important consideration of the present disclosure relates to the content of reagents in the oil prior to being input back to the oil reservoir. The system of the present disclosure provides that the content of the reagents in the oil are well below the upper limit considered acceptable in food. In some embodiments, the reagent material(s) and / or the material(s) of the support structure or substrate may be generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by a relevant regulatory authority, e.g., the United States Food and Drug Administration.

[0238] Skilled artisans, in view of the above considerations, can select and optimize appropriate reagent(s) and an appropriate material and geometry of the supporting structure or substrate (in the case of supported reagent). This selection, as skilled artisans will appreciate in view of the present disclosure, is motivated by the reaction kinetics required to keep FFA and TPM levels in the frying oil to acceptable levels. Particularly, because in commercial frying operations the same oil is used continuously or near-continuously over periods of at least about several days, skilled artisans may select reagent(s) that ensures appropriate absolute and / or relative levels of FFAs, TPMs / TPCs, and mono-, di-, and / or triglycerides in the frying oil upon re-entry back to the oil reservoir. Thus, skilled artisans can, in view of the present disclosure, tailor the system and reagents to most cost-effectively reduce the accumulation of undesirable degradation byproducts in the frying oil and extend the oil life by multiple times relative to existing techniques, all of which improve the quality and consistency of foods fried in the frying oil.

[0239] In methods and systems of the present disclosure, the TPM treatment may include adsorption to reduce degradation of a frying oil by altering the chemistry of the frying oil. Particularly, the TPM treatment zone(s) of the present disclosure may take advantage of the fact that TPMs, by virtue of their polarity, have an affinity for adsorption onto hydrophilic substrates; thus, the TPM treatment zone may include a TPM adsorbent material comprising a hydrophilic surface in contact with the oil, onto which TPMs in the oil can adsorb and thereby be removed from the oil. In some embodiments, the adsorbent used to adsorb / remove TPMs from a frying oil need not necessarily be a disposable or single-use adsorbent, upon which previous adsorption techniques have generally relied. Rather, the adsorbents used in TPM treatment sub- systems / zones according to the present disclosure may, in some embodiments, be regenerable — that is, once the adsorption surface of the adsorbent becomes saturated with TPMs, or otherwise after treatment, the TPMs can readily be removed from the adsorption surface for disposal or downstream processing and the adsorbent can then be returned to the system. The system may be configured to allow the oil to contact the adsorbent for sufficient time to allow TPMs to be adsorbed from the oil to a desired extent. For example, the adsorbent may be separated from the oil via phase separation and the adsorbent may be regenerated by removing the TPMs. The adsorbent may then be directed back to the TPM treatment zone and / or stored for future use. This feature may therefore, in some cases, reduce the quantity of waste generated by the adsorption treatment relative to conventional processes for managing TPM content.

[0240] Reagent cartridge

[0241] In some embodiments, the adsorbent material may be contained within a container, mesh pouch, or cartridge configured with many holes or openings large enough for the oil to flow through to contact the adsorbent material but small enough to prevent the adsorbent material from escaping the cartridge, hereinafter referred to as a reagent cartridge. In embodiments, the cartridge may be re-usable. As skilled artisans will appreciate, not all reagent cartridges are necessarily identical with respect to materials, material thickness, material density, material porosity, construction, sizing, mesh opening size / mesh size, and adsorbent material(s); skilled artisans will appreciate how to select and / or optimize these parameters for optimized TPM and / or FFA reduction / mitigation and accommodation of end-user operational parameters, such as fryer size, oil volume usage, frequency of filtration operations, operating hours, temperature of oil during and / or after oil filtration steps, automatic vs. manual filtration, type of oil used, etc. By way of non-limiting example, a “mesh pouch” comprised of nonwoven material may have a material thickness from about 0.1 mm to about 5 mm and a fabric density from about 50 grams / m2to about 350 grams / m2.

[0242] Such a cartridge can be placed in a container in the at least one treatment zone, including, but not limited to, FFA and TPM. In embodiments, one treatment zone can comprise FFA and TPM reagents. In embodiments, one treatment zone will treat one compound, such as an FFA treatment zone and a TPM treatment zone.

[0243] In some embodiments, the reagent cartridge may be adapted or configured to be placed in the frying oil (e.g., during or after cooling of the frying oil to room temperature or a holding temperature) for sufficient time to allow TPMs to be adsorbed from the oil to a desired extent, after which the cartridge may be removed from the frying oil. This provides yet another advantage of the treatment zone(s) of the present disclosure compared to previous techniques for managing the TPM content of frying oils: it may be effective for in situ treatment of the frying oil, i.e., the frying oil does not need to be removed from the location where the frying operation is carried out. As a result, the treatment zone(s) can easily be incorporated into pre-existing frying operations, with little or no deviation from already-established activities and schedules. This characteristic of the treatment zone(s) improves operator compliance and operational safety and results in significant labor savings relative to conventional processes for managing TPM content.

[0244] In some embodiments, the reagent cartridge may comprise a “mesh pouch” having a woven structure, e.g., a plain weave, a plain Dutch weave, a twill weave, a twill Dutch weave, a lock crimp weave, a twill Dutch double weave, a stranded weave, etc., for the purpose of providing the appropriate opening size and an appropriate amount of weave movement in the warp, weft, and / or bias direction. The “mesh pouch” of the reagent cartridge can be fabricated using knit structures and / or non-woven structures with natural and / or synthetic fibers selected to comply with applicable regulatory requirements for direct food contact, selected to operate at the desired process temperatures. The “mesh pouch” of the reagent cartridge is preferably optimized to ensure proper oil flow rate, i.e., to maximize oil contact with the adsorbent in a reasonable contact time, and is preferably configured with an opening size that ensures retention of the adsorbent particles within the “mesh pouch” without significantly impeding oil flow through the “mesh pouch.” By way of non-limiting examples, the material can be selected from a group consisting of 300-series stainless steel fibers, high-temperature nylon fibers, polyether ether ketone (PEEK) fibers, polyetherimide fibers, PET / polyester fibers, aramid fibers (e.g. Kevlar), silicone-coated cotton fibers, high- temperature nylon 6-6, and silicone-coated fiberglass fibers, and / or combinations thereof.

[0245] By way of non-limiting example, the “mesh pouch” may have a mesh opening size of about 10 pm to about 3 mm (or within any subrange thereof, e.g., any range having a lower bound of any whole number of micrometers from 10 pm to 3 mm and an upper bound of any other whole number of micrometers from 10 pm to 3 mm). In some embodiments, the reagent cartridge may further comprise one or more layers of fibers to provide a means for holding and evenly distributing the adsorbent particles within the reagent cartridge, while also enabling a higher flow rate, ensuring shorter process times while still achieving the target weight-percentage reduction of TPMs and / or FFAs. The fibers can be configured in a single layer or two or more layers. The density of the fibers may also be optimized to ensure proper flow rate. For example, the density of the fiber layer(s) can vary throughout the thickness, width, and / or length of the fiber layer(s).

[0246] By way of non-limiting example, the fiber material can be PET / polyester fibers. By way of non-limiting example, the fiber material can be selected from a group consisting of synthetic fibers, natural fibers, or blends of synthetic and natural fibers, such as solid fibers, hollow fibers, single-component or bi-component fibers, conjugated fibers, metallic fibers, non-metallic fibers, ceramic fibers, silica fibers, composite fibers, biomaterial fibers, thermoplastic or thermoset fibers, and combinations thereof.

[0247] In some embodiments, the layer of fibers can be at least about 5 mm, at least about 10 mm, at least about 15 mm, at least about 20 mm, at least about 25 mm, at least about 30 mm, at least about 35 mm, at least about 40 mm, at least about 45 mm, at least about 50 mm, at least about 55 mm, at least about 60 mm, at least about 65 mm, at least about 70 mm, at least about 75 mm, at least about 80 mm, at least about 85 mm, at least about 90 mm, at least about 95 mm, at least about 100 mm, at least about 105 mm, and / or at least about 110 mm in thickness. The one or more layers of fibers can be of uniform thickness or of varying thickness. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more layers of fibers can be configured with discrete compartments by conventional sewing or by application of heat.

[0248] In some embodiments, the one or more layers of fibers can be configured into cylinders wherein the adsorbent material is placed within the cylinder and the cylinders are sealed at each end. The reagent cartridge may be adopted to hold one or more cylinders of fibers.

[0249] In some embodiments, the fiber can be clamped between a top armature and a bottom armature, where the top and bottom armatures mate together to create compartments after the adsorbent particles have been added to the fiber structure.

[0250] In some embodiments, the reagent cartridge may be adapted or configured for “stand-alone” use. Alternatively, the reagent cartridge can comprise a mesh pouch held within a durable housing during use; in some embodiments, the housing can be opened, and the mesh pouch can be replaced. In some embodiments, the reagent cartridge (and / or a durable housing thereof) may be adapted to incorporate fittings that enable the device to be coupled to the fryer and / or a pressurized or vacuum-driven oil flow mechanism (including but not limited to an oil filtration system), and / or an external stand-alone device that causes the used oil to pass through the reagent cartridge and for at least about 50% of the used oil to come into contact with the molecular adsorbent material contained within the reagent cartridge.

[0251] In some embodiments, the reagent cartridge may be sealed during the manufacturing process to prevent tampering and ensure food safety.

[0252] The durable housing for the reagent cartridge may be manufactured with materials that comply with applicable regulatory requirements for direct food contact and selected to operate at the desired process temperatures. These materials include, but are not limited to, 300-series stainless steel alloys (e.g., 304 and 316), high-temperature thermoset and thermoplastic materials such as high-temperature nylons, and / or PEEK.

[0253] In embodiments, the cartridge may remain in the container until the reagent needs to be replaced or regenerated. In embodiments, the cartridge may be placed in the container at time of treatment and removed after treatment. After the cartridge is removed from the TPM treatment zone, FFA treatment zone, and / or from the oil, the adsorbent material may be regenerated by any one or more regeneration techniques, including but not limited to washing with hot (e.g., at least about 150 °F) water, steam cleaning, or cleaning with a nonaqueous solvent. In some embodiments, regeneration of the adsorbent material can be accomplished by washing the adsorbent cartridge in a home or commercial- or industrialgrade dishwasher.

[0254] In embodiments where the reagent is placed in a cartridge, the TPM-treated and / or FFA-treated oil may be significantly free of the adsorbent and may therefore bypass phase separation. As such, the treated oil may be recycled throughout the system and / or returned to the oil reservoir without phase separation.

[0255] Important considerations in selecting reagent(s) for the treatment zone(s) are the stability of the reagent(s) under system conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure) and the extent to which the reagent(s) is(are) inert with the oil at system conditions. Non-limiting examples of reagent materials that are sufficiently stable and inert under typical system conditions while maintaining good TPM adsorption capabilities and / or good FFA adsorption capabilities include Lewis acid catalysts, structured catalysts, ion exchange resins, silica gels, zeolites, magnesium silicate, calcium silicate, other clay minerals (such as, but not limited to, bentonite, Na-montmorillonite, Ca-montmorillonite, other montmorillonites, attapulgite, palygorskite, sepiolite, and combinations thereof, where the clays can be in either non-activated or organically modified forms or in combination of those forms), activated charcoal and / or carbon, magnesium phosphate, metal carbonates, alkali catalysts, activated alumina, molecular sieves, chitosan, functionalized carbon nanomaterials (including, but not limited to, graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes), metal organic frameworks (MOFs), poly oxometalates (POMs), hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, and combinations thereof. Some of the reagents may, but need not, require further phase separation when used. In some embodiments, silica gel beads suitable as adsorbent / reagent materials may have a particle / bead size from about 5 pm to about 4 mm, or any value in any subrange thereof; in particular embodiments, the particle / bead size may be about 15 pm to about 250 pm.

[0256] In embodiments, TPM and / or FFA treatment may utilize ion exchange and / or ion adsorption media. In ion adsorption, ions are transferred from a liquid phase onto the surface of a solid phase, often due to an electrical attraction of the ions to a substance on the surface of the solid phase; in other words, the solid phase gains ions, but does not lose them. In ion exchange, an ion in the liquid phase, upon encountering the solid medium, displaces an ion from the solid material; in other words, the solid phase both gains and loses ions. In most oils, which consist of a complex blend of chemical components, a combination of both ion exchange and ion adsorption would be most desirable; an ideal medium would therefore have one or both of an electrical charge and ions that can be transferred to the oil, both of which would cause polar organics to be adsorbed onto the solid medium. This substrate could then be disposed of or regenerated (by chemical and / or physical means) and reused.

[0257] Other complementary and / or supplementary techniques for removing polar organics from the oil or preventing their formation include, by way of non-limiting example, (nonionic) adsorption, addition of hydrogen to (or production of hydrogen within) the oil, and addition of antioxidants to the oil. These and other complementary and / or supplementary techniques may be combined with techniques disclosed herein within the scope of embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0258] Adsorbent parameters

[0259] Adsorption methods and systems provided by the present disclosure utilize an adsorbent material to adsorb and remove degradation byproducts from degraded frying oil. The present inventors have identified certain key variables that must be accounted for and / or controlled to successfully and consistently reduce TPM and / or FFA levels at a rate that is sufficient to “keep up” with TPM and / or FFA generation on a daily and / or weekly basis.

[0260] Two important considerations in selecting an adsorbent for the treatment zone(s) are the stability of the adsorbent under frying conditions and the extent to which the adsorbent is inert with the frying oil at frying conditions to ensure the adsorbent does not contribute negatively to fryer oil degradation and to ensure minimal shedding of the adsorbent into the frying oil. Adsorbent materials may function via means of physical adsorption or chemical adsorption.

[0261] Physical adsorption involves intermolecular forces, such as Van der Waals forces, that cause the adsorbent to attract and “hold on” to TPMs and / or FFAs within the oil. Nonlimiting examples of physical adsorbent materials that are sufficiently stable and inert under frying conditions while maintaining good TPM and / or FFA adsorption capabilities include beads or meshes of silica gel (either unfunctionalized or functionalized, e.g., with aminopropyl or octadecyl functionality), metal-organic frameworks, aluminosilicate zeolites, and / or activated alumina. Other adsorbent materials that may be utilized in the methods and systems of the present disclosure include non-metallic adsorbent compounds, ceramic adsorbents, silica fabrics, composite adsorbents, biomaterial or bio-based adsorbents, thermoplastic or thermoset materials, and combinations thereof, provided that the attributes of inertness and stability (as those terms are used herein) are met by such materials; the use of such adsorbent materials will thus be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0262] Chemical adsorption, sometimes also referred to as chemisorption, involves the formation of a chemical bond (ionic or covalent) between the active material (the adsorbent) and a soluble component of the oil (the TPMs). Non-limiting examples of chemical adsorbent materials that are sufficiently stable and inert under frying conditions while maintaining good TPM and / or FFA adsorption capabilities include carbon-based compounds, such as functionalized graphene, many forms of activated carbon, carbon nanotubes, activated carbon felts (ACFs), nanostructured metal oxides, as well as chitosan and other chitin derivatives, such as those prepared and commercialized by Primex, AgraTech, and Advanced BioPolymers.

[0263] In some embodiments, depending on the adsorbent material used, a temperature at which, or temperature range within which, adsorption of TPMs and / or FFAs is maximized (i.e., the binding energy of the target compound (FFAs, TPMs / TPCs, or a combination thereof) to the adsorbent material is high enough for target compounds to be retained by the adsorbent material to the greatest extent possible) may be below frying temperature; by way of non-limiting example, for some combinations of adsorbent material and frying operation considerations, the adsorbent material may be most effective at temperatures of between about 20 °C and about 150 °C (or within any subrange thereof), whereas frying operations may need to be carried out at a temperature of about 170 °C. In these embodiments, the frying oil may contact the adsorbent and / or TPMs, FFAs, or a combination thereof may be adsorbed from the frying oil onto the adsorbent material while or after the frying oil is cooled (to room temperature, or to a temperature higher than room temperature but below frying temperature). Molecular adsorbent materials that rely primarily on physical adsorption will generally have lower effective operating temperatures than those which rely primarily chemical adsorption, due to the large difference between the intermolecular binding forces / energies in physical adsorption (generally about 20 to about 40 kJ / mol) and the higher binding energies of chemical bonds in chemical adsorption (generally about 40 to about 400 kJ / mol).

[0264] In some applications of the adsorption methods and systems disclosed herein, the operational hours, procedures, and / or type of frying equipment implemented in a restaurant or other food frying operation may require that the oil undergo a standard particulate filtration step at least once, and often twice, per day. In many such cases, there is not sufficient time to allow for the oil to cool down and the treatment zone(s) and / or use of the reagent cartridge of the present disclosure must be carried out at higher temperatures, typically between about 150 °C and about 200 °C. Accordingly, many of the molecular adsorbents contemplated by this disclosure can safely withstand frying oil temperatures of at least about 200 °C.

[0265] In some embodiments, only physical adsorbents are utilized to accomplish the reduction of TPMs and / or FFAs in the used frying oil. In some embodiments, only chemical adsorbents are utilized to accomplish the reduction of TPMs and / or FFAs in the used frying oil. In some embodiments, both physical adsorbents and chemical adsorbents are utilized to accomplish the reduction of TPMs and / or FFAs in the used frying oil.

[0266] One advantage of the methods and systems of the present disclosure is that the reagent cartridge can be configured and optimized to function with adsorbent particle sizes that are tailored to achieve a target TPM and / or FFA reduction profile and to best fit within operational constraints, as opposed to being limited to only one particle size, or a narrow range of particle sizes.

[0267] In some embodiments, it can be advantageous to provide a blend of larger adsorbent particles, e.g., having particle sizes of between about 200 pm and about 8 mm, and smaller adsorbent particle sizes, e.g., having particle sizes of between about 20 pm and about 200 pm, to achieve the maximum TPM and / or FFA reduction during each interaction of the oil with the adsorbent particles, based on the flow characteristics of a given frying oil (e.g., viscosity), as well as other factors affecting diffusion and flow of the oil through and around the adsorbent, such as whether the flow Is gravity-induced or pressure gradient-induced.

[0268] In various embodiments, by way of non-limiting example, a blend in which about 40% of the adsorbent particles have an average particle size of between about 500 pm and about 1 mm adsorbent particles and about 60% of the adsorbent particles have an average particle size of between about 30 pm and about 200 pm, placed into a reagent cartridge sized for the particular fryer and / or filter caddy, may be effective to ensure that at least about 50% of the volume of used oil contacts the adsorbent particles within a relatively short timeframe of about one minute to about 30 minutes.

[0269] In various embodiments, by way of non-limiting example, for an application in which operational restrictions require a rapid, gravity-fed flow of oil through the treatment zone(s), a reagent cartridge may be constructed with a larger mesh opening size and larger particle sizes, such as a 150 pm mesh containing molecular adsorbent particles having an average particle size of no less than about 200 pm.

[0270] As another non-limiting example, a reagent cartridge for use in gravity-fed, rapidflow applications may have a mesh opening size of approximately 250 pm and an average adsorbent particle size of no less than about 500 pm.

[0271] Another non-limiting example comprises a reagent cartridge constructed from a mesh material having an average opening size of about 25 pm with small molecular adsorbent particles having an average particle size in the range between about 40 pm and about 100 pm.

[0272] Another non-limiting example comprises adsorbent particles having an average particle size of no more than about 40 pm held within a reagent cartridge having a mesh with an average opening size of about 25 pm and employs pressure-induced flow (via pump, vacuum, etc.) to ensure that at least about 50% of the used oil comes into contact with the molecular adsorbent contained within the reagent cartridge. Another non-limiting example comprises molecular adsorbent particles having an average particle size in the range of between about 40 pm and about 100 pm held within a reagent cartridge constructed from mesh material that has an average opening size of about 25 pm. This embodiment may preferably be configured in such a way that there is a positive or negative fluid pressure that drives the oil through the reagent cartridge, as gravity-induced flow alone may be too slow. This fluid pressure can be either positive (i.e., pushing / pumping) or negative (i.e., vacuum or drawing) to ensure the desired speed and extent of contact between the frying oil and the molecular adsorbent of the reagent cartridge.

[0273] Another important parameter is the adsorbent particle surface area. Most commonly, adsorbent materials in the methods and systems of the present disclosure are provided in the form of high-surface area particles. As a general principle with regard to adsorption, including adsorption of polar materials such as TPMs and / or FFAs, an increase in the effective surface area of the adsorbent material improves TPM and / or FFA adsorption, ceteris paribus.

[0274] The average pore diameter of the molecular adsorbent is another parameter that may be controlled, optimized, selected, and / or tuned to provide a desired TPM and / or FFA adsorption profile. By way of non-limiting example, the adsorbent may have an average pore diameter in a range between about 1.5 nm and about 150 nm, preferably between about 1.5 nm and about 50 nm, more preferably between about 1.5 nm and about 25 nm, and still more preferably between about 1.5 nm and 10 about nm, which may be effective to reduce TPM and / or FFA levels in, for example, a high-oleic canola oil blend.

[0275] The TPM and / or FFA reagent(s) in a treatment zone may in some embodiments remain in contact with the frying oil for at most only a few hours (e.g., no more than about 5 hours, no more than about 4 hours, no more than about 3 hours, or no more than about 2 hours) at a time, as this time is sufficient to allow for adsorption of a substantial fraction of TPMs and / or FFAs that have built up in the frying oil over the course of a frying operation. In embodiments, the reagent(s) and frying oil may remain in contact for no more than about five hours, no more than about four hours, no more than about three hours, no more than about two hours, no more than about 110 minutes, no more than about 100 minutes, no more than about 90 minutes, no more than about 80 minutes, no more than about 70 minutes, no more than about one hour, no more than about 50 minutes, no more than about 40 minutes, no more than about 30 minutes, no more than about 25 minutes, no more than about 20 minutes, no more than about 15 minutes, no more than about 10 minutes, no more than about 5 minutes, no more than about 3 minutes, or no more than about 2 minutes, or no more than about 1 minute, or no more than about 30 seconds, or no more than about 10 seconds. In embodiments, the reagent(s) and the frying oil may remain in contact for at least about two hours, at least about three hours, at least about four hours, at least about five hours, at least about six hours, at least about seven hours, at least about eight hours, at least about nine hours, at least about ten hours, or at least about eleven hours, and / or no more than about twelve hours, no more than about eleven hours, no more than about ten hours, no more than about nine hours, no more than about eight hours, no more than about seven hours, no more than about six hours, no more than about five hours, no more than about four hours, or no more than about three hours, and / or any length of time in any range having a lower bound of any whole number of minutes between 120 minutes and 720 minutes and an upper bound of any other whole number of minutes between 120 minutes and 720 minutes. As further disclosed elsewhere, following this period of contact with the frying oil, the adsorbent material may be removed from the frying oil and regenerated.

[0276] Skilled artisans, in view of the above considerations, can select and optimize an appropriate adsorbent material. This selection, as skilled artisans will appreciate in view of the present disclosure, is motivated by the adsorbent parameters required to keep TPM levels in the frying oil to acceptable levels. Particularly, because in commercial frying operations the same oil is used continuously or near-continuously over periods of at least about several days, skilled artisans may select an adsorbent material that ensures appropriate absolute and / or relative levels of TPMs / TPCs and / or FFAs in the frying oil not just at the end of the oil’s intended life but at all time points during the frying operation as well. Thus, skilled artisans can, in view of the present disclosure, tailor the adsorbent particles and treatment system / zone(s) to most cost-effectively reduce the accumulation of undesirable degradation byproducts in the frying oil and extend the oil life by multiple times relative to existing techniques, all of which improve the quality and consistency of foods fried in the frying oil.

[0277] Adsorbent regeneration

[0278] One advantage of the treatment system / zone(s) of the present disclosure is that the adsorbent may not be a disposable or single-use adsorbent, upon which previous adsorption techniques have generally relied. Rather, the adsorbents used in treatment systems according to the present disclosure may be, but is not necessarily, regenerable — that is, once the adsorption surface of the adsorbent becomes saturated with TPMs and / or FFAs, the TPMs and / or FFAs can readily be removed from the adsorption surface for disposal or downstream processing and the adsorbent can then be returned to service in the frying operation. This feature significantly reduces the quantity of waste generated by the adsorption sub-system relative to conventional processes for managing TPM and / or FFA content.

[0279] The adsorbent material may be regenerated by any one or more regeneration techniques, including, but not limited to, washing with hot (e.g., at least about 150 °F) water, steam cleaning, and / or cleaning with a non-aqueous solvent. In some embodiments, regeneration of the adsorbent material can be accomplished by washing the adsorbent cartridge in a home or commercial- or industrial-grade dishwasher.

[0280] In some embodiments, the molecular adsorbent reagent cartridge may be removed from the frying oil after a pre-determined contact time and can then be either recycled back to the manufacturer for regeneration, or can be regenerated via a simple hot water “boil-out” procedure to remove any oil and / or particulate matter that may have penetrated the “mesh pouch;” the mesh pouch can then undergo a subsequent drying cycle to bring the residual moisture content of the adsorbent material back to less than about 2% by weight, thus allowing the molecular adsorbent to be re-used.

[0281] In some embodiments, a stand-alone reagent cartridge regeneration unit is provided, comprising at least means for cleaning / washing the molecular adsorbent material by flowing hot (at least about 95 °C) water through the reagent cartridge and subsequently drying the molecular adsorbent / reagent cartridge at a temperature of at least about 100 °C within the stand-alone reagent cartridge regeneration unit until the residual moisture content of the adsorbent material is no more than about 2 wt.%. The stand-alone reagent cartridge regeneration unit may in some embodiments comprise a user interface for ease of use by restaurant operators.

[0282] In some embodiments, the stand-alone reagent cartridge regeneration unit may comprise a sensor configured to detect when / whether the reagent cartridge has been placed into the unit, an automatically latching and / or interlocking “lid” configured to ensure the regeneration unit is securely closed before starting the regeneration process, a “start” button that can only be actuated once the lid has been latched and / or interlocked, and an LED status light configured to indicate the status of the regeneration cycle to the user (e.g., red = “not started,” yellow = “cycle in progress,” green = “cycle completed”).

[0283] The present disclosure additionally supports means for performing any of the steps disclosed herein, where the means may include known equipment. In some embodiments, an in situ treatment device can be provided within a fryer, adjacent to a fryer, and / or in the vicinity of a fryer by connecting a treatment device with one or more treatment zones and one or more reagents to a filtered, used oil stream during pumping of the oil from the fryer or back into the fryer.

[0284] A non-limiting example of an oil treatment system is depicted in Figure 5A. Figure 5B depicts inside components of the system depicted in Figure 5A.

[0285] As seen in Figure 5A, the reagent / treatment zone 570 is accessible via lids 570A and 570B, as visible on the outside of the treatment system 500. The hose and wand assembly 505 can both transfer used oil into the treatment system 500 from the fryer (or other used oil reservoir) and transfer treated oil back to the fryer reservoir (or other reservoir) after treatment. The used oil from the fryer reservoir is passed through conduit 510. Conduit 550 returns the treated oil back to the fryer reservoir, and the oil passes through the oil inlet and outlet port 555. Computer 560 can operate the treatment system 500 and can accept user input values as well as optionally decide treatment parameters based on measurements of the oil.

[0286] As seen in Figure 5B, hose and wand assembly 505 can both transfer used oil into the treatment system 500 from the fryer (or other used oil reservoir) and transfer treated oil back to the fryer reservoir (or other reservoir) after treatment. The used oil from the fryer reservoir is passed through conduit 510. The oil can pass through first treatment zone 515 and second treatment zone 520. The phase separation vessel 525 can separate the oil from the reagent(s). Continuous flow vessel 530 allows for a continuous flow of oil through the treatment system 500. Process control sensors 535 A and 535 B can evaluate the system and oil parameters, such as, but not limited to, pressure and current TPM levels in the system. A pump 540 can keep and regulate the flow of oil moving throughout the system. Flow control valves 545 A and 545 B can control the rate, flow, timing, and volume of oil passing through the system. Conduit 550 moves the oil towards the oil inlet and outlet port 555 for the oil to return to the fryer reservoir or other reservoir. Computer 560 can operate the treatment system 500 and can accept user input values as well as optionally decide treatment parameters based on measurements of the oil.

[0287] If a fine mesh size (e.g., a 25 pm mesh) is used in the adsorbent device, the adsorbent will act as a fluidized bed, whereas, if a larger mesh size is used (e.g., a 250 pm mesh), the oil will flow through the adsorbent by gravity. The adsorbent can comprise a mixture of silica beads of varying sizes. The filter caddy can be connected to the adsorbent device using a universal connector, such as an O-ring that is compressed by a screw fitting to clamp down around the filter caddy wand.

[0288] The TPM mitigation device described in the preceding paragraph can be used in a food service or other food processing facility where food is fried by placing the adsorbent device in the fryer at the end of the last shift of an operational period (a day, a week, etc.). In one embodiment, the caddy is placed below the fryer and the fryer drain valve is left open, the TPM mitigation device is placed above the fryer vessel in the place of a conventional fry basket, and the filter caddy “wand” is installed onto the connector. After the frying oil is cooled to a pre-determined temperature, the system can, in this embodiment, then start automatically and recirculate oil through the TPM mitigation device; this recirculation can continue for a predetermined period, whereupon the system may shut off automatically. The system can safely be left unattended for many hours at a time, such as overnight or over a weekend.

[0289] Referring now to Figures 6A and 6B, differences between a conventional filtration unit (Figure 6A, prior art) and one non-limiting embodiment of a treatment system device 600 according to the present disclosure (Figure 6B) are illustrated in an exploded view. As illustrated in Figure 6A, a conventional oil filtration unit includes an upper gasket and / or holding ring 610 (often or typically made of stainless steel), a particulate filtering sheet 620 comprising a filter medium, a support mesh 640 (often or typically made of stainless steel), and a lower gasket 650 (often or typically made of rubber). The embodiment of the treatment system device 600 of the present disclosure illustrated in Figure 6B includes these same components, but further includes a TPM cartridge 630 disposed between the particulate filtering sheet 620 and the support mesh 640. As further described elsewhere throughout this disclosure, the conventional filtration unit illustrated in Figure 6A is capable only of “passive” removal of insoluble particulates as the frying oil passes through the particulate filtering sheet 620. The treatment system device 600 according to the present disclosure illustrated in Figure 6B, on the other hand, provides the same removal of insoluble particulates (by way of inclusion of the particulate filtering sheet 620), but is also effective to “actively” remove TPMs and / or FFAs ( / .< ., soluble oil degradation byproducts) in the frying oil by including, in addition to the particulate filtering sheet 620, a reagent cartridge 630 containing a TPM and / or FFA adsorbent / reagent. As further described elsewhere throughout this disclosure, the reagent cartridge 630 is preferably sized, configured, and constructed such that flow of the frying oil through the treatment system device 600 is uniform and not substantially slower than flow of the frying oil through a conventional filtration unit as illustrated in Figure 6A.

[0290] An embodiment of a reagent cartridge is illustrated can be a substantially planar device, / .< ., a device whose thickness / depth is much smaller than its length and width. The reagent cartridge cancomprise both a substantially oil-impermeable margin and an oil- permeable central portion. The substantially oil-impermeable margin can be rendered substantially oil-impermeable by appropriate selection of materials, fiber width and / or orientation, pore size, porosity, sewing or heat-sealing the upper and lower faces together, etc.; likewise, the oil-permeable central portion can be configured to be oil-permeable by appropriate selection of materials, fiber width and / or orientation, pore size, porosity, etc. It is to be expressly understood that the lower and upper faces of the substantially oil- impermeable margin may be made of the same or different materials, and that the same is true for the oil-permeable central portion.

[0291] The oil-permeable central portion can enclose a central volume of the reagent cartridge, within which is contained the particulate adsorbent / reagent; as further described elsewhere throughout this disclosure, the oil-permeable central portion is constructed in such a manner (e.g. , with a pore size smaller than the particles of adsorbent / reagent) that the adsorbent particles cannot become entrained in the frying oil flowing through the central volume or otherwise escape the central volume. Thus, as oil flows through an upper face of the oil-permeable central portion, it enters the central volume of the reagent cartridge and contacts the particulate adsorbent such that TPMs and / or FFAs are adsorbed from the oil; the TPM and / or FFA -reduced oil then subsequently flows through the lower face of the oil- permeable central portion and out of the treatment device. The reagent cartridge can be constructed by filling the central volume with a pre-determined weight of adsorbent particles, then closing and sealing the central volume by any suitable means e.g., sewing or heat-sealing the lower and upper faces of the oil-permeable central portion together about a perimetrical edge of the oil-permeable central portion adjacent to the substantially oil- impermeable margin.

[0292] In embodiments, the present disclosure provides for an automated system that can be specified to an individual customer and / or end-user. For most restaurants, food service brands, or other users of fryers, there is a wide variety of foods, types of oil used, number of frying cycles run, frying temperatures, average oil temperature, etc. In embodiments, either in combination with other aspects disclosed in the present application or with other methods known in the art, the system can control all critical parameters including, but not limited to, the amount of oil to be treated, frequency of oil treatment, amount and type of reagent(s) used, treatment duration, flowrate control, treatment cycle duration for each treatment zone and / or for each reagent, oil temperature, and system pressures.

[0293] In embodiments, the control system can have a universal user interface that connects to the other aspects and equipment used to treat frying oil as described in the present disclosure and to other equipment known in the art for performing one more steps of processes disclosed herein. This universal interface can allow for minimal operator intervention and improve safety with less human interaction with the chemical compounds to treat the oil. In embodiments, the system can also incorporate wireless communication and connectivity to enable end-user functionality benefits that can simplify ongoing operations and reduce cost of system ownership, including, but not limited to, automated download of system firmware and software updates, remote process recipe updates for any given system or a group of systems, operating parameter optimizations, and remote technical troubleshooting.

[0294] Embodiments of the present disclosure are further described by way of the following non-limiting Examples.

[0295] It is to be expressly understood that operating parameters disclosed in the following non-limiting Examples are not fixed to the values provided in the Examples, and do not necessarily represent optimized values. The systems and methods of the present disclosure have the flexibility to allow these and other treatment parameters to be optimized for different operational needs.

[0296] Examples

[0297] Example 1 - Daily Incremental Treatment

[0298] This example uses a pre-set volume of used oil per day to be moved from the used oil fryer vats and into the integrated oil treatment system. By doing so, the used oil in the fryer vat is incrementally renewed and refreshed with treated oil each day and thus maintains levels of FFAs and / or TPM low and extends the useful life of the oil. This treatment ends when the used oil is replaced with new oil. Once replaced, the Daily Incremental Treatment begins again on the following day.

[0299] Each day at a set time (e.g., midnight), an operator may filter coarse solids from the vat of used fryer oil. For the context of this example, the operator filters oil contained in a 30- pound vat. The operator then selects the Daily Incremental Treatment setting from a preset offering on the control panel of the system. In this example, the operator will run: (a) FFA treatment on 30 wt.% of the oil (i.e., 9 pounds from a 30-pound fryer) each day; (b) the FFA-treated oil bypasses the solid / liquid separation process and is returned to the fryer vat at the end of the treatment cycle; (c) TPM treatment processes on 20 wt.% of the oil (i.e., 6 pounds from a 30-pound fryer) each day; and (d) the TPM-treated oil undergoes solid / liquid separation before returning to the fryer vat.

[0300] The system’s control panel allows an operator to adjust treatment percentages and schedules as needed. Therefore, it should be understood that, while 30 wt.% of the oil undergoes FFA treatment and 20 wt.% of the oil undergoes TPM treatment in this example, any portion of the total oil may undergo FFA and / or TPM treatment.

[0301] The FFA and TPM treatment zones can be separate or combined zones, with each being configured to allow the oil to cycle therethrough one or more times to achieve optimal changes / improvements in physical and / or chemical reactions in the oil. That is, FFA and TPM treatment may occur at the same time or different times, in the same zone or in different zones. If occurring at the same time and in the same zone, the same portion of oil may undergo TPM and FFA treatment simultaneously. Additionally or alternatively, if occurring at the same time and in different zones, one portion of the oil may undergo FFA treatment and a different portion of the oil may undergo TPM treatment. In such cases, the system may include multiple oil flow lines, one that flows first through the FFA treatment zone and another that flows first through the TPM treatment zone. If the FFA and TPM treatments occur at different times and in different zones, the oil may flow first through the FFA treatment zone and then through the TPM treatment zone, or vice versa.

[0302] In embodiments, the system may be configured so the oil undergoes only one of TPM treatment or FFA treatment. This may be advantageous in certain embodiments; for example, FFA-only treated used oil does not necessarily have to go through a solids / liquids separation process, as described herein.

[0303] The system may include a fail-safe to ensure that process steps occur in a certain order, such as, by way of non-limiting example, to ensure that FFA treatment always precedes TPM treatment when both occur on the same day.

[0304] Example 2 - One Time Batch Treatment

[0305] This example focuses on more thorough, less frequent treatments where each batch of used oil is only treated one time and after a set number of days of use.

[0306] In this example, new (unused) oil is placed into the fryer on Monday morning and is used Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. On Wednesday evening at 11 :30pm, 100% of the fryer oil undergoes: (a) FFA treatment; (b) TPM treatment; (c) solids / liquids separation; and (d) the treated oil returns to the fryer vat.

[0307] When the used oil is replaced with new oil, the system resets its schedule to start the one-time batch treatment campaign.

[0308] The system’s control panel may allow staff to adjust treatment percentages and schedules as needed. That is, although this example considers starting with fresh oil on a Monday and undergoing oil treatment every three days, it should be understood that this is merely an example and new oil may be added to the system at any day / time and oil treatment may occur after any number of hours, days, weeks, etc.

[0309] As discussed with reference to Example 1, FFA and TPM treatment zones can be separate or combined zones, with each being configured to allow the oil to cycle there through one or more times to achieve optimal changes / improvements in physical and or chemical reactions in the oil.

[0310] As noted in Example 1, the system may be configured so the oil undergoes only one of TPM treatment or FFA treatment. This may be advantageous in certain embodiments; for example, FFA-only treated used oil does not necessarily have to go through a solids / liquids separation process, as described herein.

[0311] As noted in Example 1, the system may include a fail-safe to ensure that process steps occur in a certain order, such as, by way of non-limiting example, to ensure that FFA treatment always precedes TPM treatment when both occur on the same day.

[0312] Example 3 - Alternating Treatment

[0313] According to aspects of Example 3, FFA and TPM treatments may be alternated throughout the week. For example: (a) on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 30% of the oil volume may undergo FFA treatment; (b) on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 30% of the oil volume may undergo TPM treatment; and (c) on Sunday, 30% of the oil volume may undergo a combined treatment, e.g., FFA treatment followed by TPM treatment.

[0314] As discussed with reference to Examples 1 and 2, the system’s control panel may allow operators to adjust treatment percentages and schedules as needed.

[0315] As in Examples 1 and 2, FFA and TPM treatment zones may be separate or combined, with each being configured to allow the oil to cycle therethrough one or more times to achieve optimal changes / improvements in physical and or chemical reactions in the oil.

[0316] As in Examples 1 and 2, the system may include a fail-safe to ensure that process steps occur in a certain order, such as, by way of non-limiting example, to ensure that FFA treatment always precedes TPM treatment when both occur on the same day.

[0317] As in Examples 1 and 2, the system may be configured so the oil undergoes only one of TPM treatment or FFA treatment. This may be advantageous in certain embodiments; for example, FFA-only treated used oil does not necessarily have to go through a solids / liquids separation process, as described herein.

[0318] The preceding examples demonstrate the flexibility of the methods and systems of the present disclosure in addressing various operator needs and oil treatment requirements and schedules.

[0319] The concepts illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein. It is apparent to those skilled in the art, however, that many changes, variations, modifications, other uses, and applications of the disclosure are possible, and changes, variations, modifications, other uses, and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure are deemed to be covered by the disclosure.

[0320] The foregoing discussion has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form or forms disclosed herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description, for example, various features are grouped together in one or more embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. The features of the embodiments may be combined in alternate embodiments other than those discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claims require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

[0321] Moreover, though the present disclosure has included description of one or more embodiments and certain variations and modifications, other variations, combinations, and modifications are within the scope of the disclosure, e.g. as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted, including alternate, interchangeable, and / or equivalent structures, functions, ranges, or steps to those claimed, regardless of whether such alternate, interchangeable, and / or equivalent structures, functions, ranges, or steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter.

Claims

1. CLAIMS1. A method for extending usability of cooking oil, comprising:(a) directing at least a portion of the cooking oil from a reservoir to a treatment system connected to the reservoir;(b) contacting the cooking oil in the treatment system with a set of one or more reagents to modify the properties, composition, and / or molecular structure of the cooking oil by inducing a chemical and / or physical transformation in the cooking oil, thereby forming a treated cooking oil; and(c) directing the treated cooking oil out of the treatment system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (b) comprises one or both of the following:(i) contacting the cooking oil with one or more FFA treatment reagents selected from the group consisting of Lewis acid catalysts, structured catalysts, ion exchange resins, silica gels, zeolites, magnesium silicate, calcium silicate, other clay minerals, activated charcoal or carbon, magnesium phosphate, metal carbonates, alkali catalysts, activated alumina, molecular sieves, chitosan, functionalized carbon nanomaterials, metal organic frameworks (MOFs), poly oxometalates (POMs), hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, and combinations thereof to reduce the content of FFAs in the cooking oil; and(ii) contacting the cooking oil with one or more TPM treatment reagents selected from the group consisting of Lewis acid catalysts, structured catalysts, ion exchange resins, silica gels, zeolites, magnesium silicate, calcium silicate, other clay minerals, activated charcoal or carbon, magnesium phosphate, metal carbonates, alkali catalysts, activated alumina, molecular sieves, chitosan, functionalized carbon nanomaterials, metal organic frameworks (MOFs), poly oxometalates (POMs), hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents, and combinations thereof to reduce the content of TPMs in the cooking oil.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the one or more FFA treatment reagents and the one or more TPM treatment reagents comprises one or more clay minerals selected from the group consisting of bentonite, sodium montmorillonite, calcium montmorillonite, other montmorillonites, attapulgite / palygorskite, sepiolite, and combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein at least one of the one or moreFFA treatment reagents and the one or more TPM treatment reagents comprises one or more functionalized carbon nanomaterials selected from the group consisting of graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of any one of claims 2-4, wherein the treated oil is directed out of the treatment system based at least in part on reducing the content of FFAs in the treated oil to less than about 2.5 wt.%.

6. The method of any one of claims 2-5, wherein the treated oil is directed out of the treatment system based at least in part on reducing the content of TPMs in the treated oil to less than about 27 wt.%.

7. The method of any one of claims 2-6, wherein step (b) comprises both of sub- steps (i) and (ii) and sub-step (i) occurs before sub-step (ii), or vice versa.

8. The method of any one of claims 2-7, further comprising: repeating sub-step (i), sub-step (ii), or both one or more times to reduce the content of FFAs, TPMs, or both in the cooking oil to the predetermined percentage.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, further comprising: separating at least a portion of the one or more reagents from the treated oil before step (c).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the separating step comprises a phase separation process.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the phase separation process is carried out in the same vessel in which step (b) is carried out.

12. The method of any one of claims 9-11, further comprising: regenerating at least a portion of the one or more reagents to form regenerated reagents; and recycling the regenerated reagents for future use in the treatment system.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-11, wherein, in step (c), the treated oil is returned to the reservoir, directed to a vessel different from the reservoir, or a combination thereof.

14. The method of any one of claims 1-13, wherein at least one of steps (a), (b), and (c) is automated.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein at least one of steps (a), (b), and (c) is customized and optimized to the operational parameters and specific oil degradation characteristics of an end-user operation.

16. The method of any one of claims 1-15, further comprising, prior to step (b),subjecting at least one of the one or more reagents to a pretreatment selected from the group consisting of dehydrating, drying, heating, cooling, application of ultraviolet light, application of electric current, plasma treatment, vacuum plasma treatment, hydroxylation, chemical functionalization with surface groups, and combinations thereof.

17. The method of any one of claims 1-16, wherein the modification of the properties, composition, and / or molecular structure of the cooking oil in step (b) comprises sorbing free fatty acids, polar molecules, or both from the cooking oil and thereby reducing the content thereof in the cooking oil.

18. The method of any one of claims 1-17, wherein the modification of the properties, composition, and / or molecular structure of the cooking oil in step (b) comprises breaking chemical bonds, forming chemical bonds, or both, thereby restructuring molecules in the cooking oil.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein step (b) comprises forming triglycerides by esterification of any combination of glycerol, free fatty acids, monoglycerides, and di glycerides in the cooking oil.

20. The method of any one of claims 1-19, wherein, in step (b), at least about 50% of a total volume of cooking oil in the reservoir prior to step (a) contacts the one or more reagents.

21. The method of any one of claims 1-A, wherein, during at least a portion of step (b), the cooking oil in the treatment system is maintained at a temperature of about 20 °C to about 200 °C.

22. The method of any one of claims 1-B, wherein at least one of the one or more reagents is contained within a reagent cartridge having a plurality of openings allowing oil to flow therethrough, wherein the openings have an average diameter of about 10 pm to about 3 mm.

23. The method of any one of claims 1-C, further comprising, prior to step (b), filtering at least a portion of the cooking oil in the reservoir to remove oil-insoluble particulates therefrom.

24. A system configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-19.

25. A system for extending usability of cooking oil, comprising: a port for connection to a reservoir in which the cooking oil is contained; a free fatty acid (FFA) treatment apparatus, comprising a first set of one or more reagents capable of reducing FFA content in the cooking oil;a total polar molecule (TPM) treatment apparatus, comprising a second set of one or more reagents capable of reducing TPM content in the cooking oil; a phase separation apparatus for separating at least a portion of the first set of one or more reagents, the second set of one or more reagents, or a combination thereof from the cooking oil; and an outlet to direct the treated oil out of the system.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the outlet directs the treated oil to the reservoir or to a vessel different from the reservoir.

27. The system of claim 25 or claim 26, further comprising one or more conduits, pumps, valves, or a combination thereof to control movement of the cooking oil in the system.

28. The system of any one of claims 25-27, wherein the FFA treatment apparatus, the TPM treatment apparatus, or both further comprise(s) a mechanical agitator, an impeller, a static mixing device, an ultrasonic agitation or mixing device, or a combination thereof to enhance contact of the cooking oil with the first set of one or more reagents, the second set of one or more reagents, or both.

29. The system of any one of claims 25-28, wherein the first set of one or more reagents, the second set of one or more reagents, or both is / are stored in containers away from contact with the cooking oil, and wherein the FFA treatment apparatus, the TPM treatment apparatus, or both further comprise(s) mechanisms to control distribution of the first set of one or more reagents, the second set of one or more reagents, or both from the containers into the FFA treatment apparatus and the TPM treatment apparatus, respectively.

30. The system of any one of claims 25-29, further comprising one or more heating units, one or more cooling units, or a combination thereof to control a temperature of the cooking oil.

31. The system of any one of claims 25-30, further comprising a cycling loop to move the cooking oil through the FFA treatment apparatus, the TPM treatment apparatus, the phase separation apparatus, or a combination thereof multiple times.

32. The system of any one of claims 25-31, further comprising a computer configured to run a program to automate control of the cooking oil through the system.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the program directs the oil out of the system based at least in part on reducing the FFA content, the TPM content, or both in the oil to a predetermined percentage.

34. The system of any one of claims 25-33, wherein the phase separation apparatus separates the portion of the reagents from the cooking oil by in-line filtration, centrifugation, flat bed separation, reverse osmosis, membrane separation, or a combination thereof.

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