Distillers Corn Oil Refining Neutral Oil Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for recovering free fatty acids from fats and oils with high free fatty acid content, such as corn oil and waste fats, are inefficient, leading to significant neutral oil loss and failure to capitalize on the value of free fatty acids as a product, particularly in ethanol production facilities.
Innovation Solution
A process involving the treatment of distillers corn oil with a mixture of aqueous alcohol and alkali to convert free fatty acids into soaps, followed by separation into an alcohol phase and a low free fatty acid oily phase, minimizing neutral oil loss and allowing for the recovery of both refined oil products and free fatty acid products with high purity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If alkali is added to fats and oils with high free fatty acid content to create free fatty acid soaps, then free fatty acids are converted to soaps for separation, but an emulsion is formed that entraps neutral oil, resulting in high neutral oil loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (such as a demulsifier or breaking agent) to the emulsion system to facilitate the separation of entrapped neutral oil from the soap-emulsion mixture. This intermediary mediates between the immiscible phases, allowing the neutral oil to be released and separated, thereby reducing neutral oil loss while maintaining the soap formation process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies process parameters such as pH, temperature, or additive concentration to control the emulsion stability and promote phase separation. By changing these parameters, the emulsion structure is altered to reduce neutral oil entrapment, allowing for better separation and reduced neutral oil loss without compromising the free fatty acid recovery process.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional refining methods are used to remove free fatty acids from high acid fats and oils, then free fatty acid content is reduced, but the methods fail to capture free fatty acids as a valuable product, treating them instead as waste to be disposed of or used for animal feed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the traditionally harmful or waste free fatty acids into a valuable commercial product. Instead of treating high free fatty acid content as a defect to be eliminated and discarded, the process captures and purifies free fatty acids for sale or further utilization, converting what was previously a liability into an asset and eliminating the need for waste disposal or low-value animal feed use.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a recovery system that captures free fatty acids during the refining process rather than discarding them with the soapstock waste stream. The free fatty acids are separated, purified, and recovered as a distinct valuable product, while the remaining soapstock can be utilized for animal feed or soap manufacturing, thereby maximizing the value extracted from the original feedstock.
3Reliability
If alkali refining is applied to crude oils with low free fatty acid content, then the oil is purified, but the methods are unsuccessful when removing free fatty acids from starting material having high free fatty acid content such as distillers corn oil
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the refining process parameters specifically for high acid oils, adjusting alkali concentration, temperature, mixing intensity, and reaction time to optimize free fatty acid removal efficiency. These parameter changes enable the process to effectively handle distillers corn oil and other high acid feedstocks that traditional low-acid refining methods cannot process successfully.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates preliminary treatment steps such as degumming, water washing, or pre-neutralization before the main alkali refining process. These preliminary actions prepare the high acid oil feedstock by removing interfering substances or adjusting the oil properties, making the subsequent free fatty acid removal more effective and reliable for high acid content materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The process effectively reduces neutral oil loss to less than 10% and achieves high recovery of free fatty acids, producing refined oil products with low free fatty acid content and free fatty acid products with greater than 50% content, while being cost-effective and integrated into ethanol production facilities.
Implementation Method 1
treatment of distillers corn oil with a mixture of aqueous alcohol and alkali to convert free fatty acids into soaps
Implementation Method 2
followed by separation into an alcohol phase and a low free fatty acid oily phase
Data Source
AI summary
Products produced from distillers corn oil include once refined corn oil product, food grade corn oil product, and free fatty acid product which may be used in a variety of applications. The products have varying specifications for free fatty acid content and moisture content. The applications include food, feed, additives, and manufacture of industrial products.