Physical refining of vegetable oils: a study of kinetics and mechanisms involved in the process

• Grant number: 13/12428-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: April 27, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Roberta Ceriani
• Grantee: Simone Monteiro e Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 08/56258-8 - Phase equilibrium and purification processes in the production of biofuels and biocompounds, AP.BIOEN.TEM

Abstract

This research project aims to investigate the kinetics and mechanisms involved in the process of physical refining of vegetable oils. It will consider both bleaching and physical deacidification steps. The bleaching step will be experimentally studied by determining the kinetics and mechanisms involved in carotenes and phosphorus removal by adsorption onto neutral bleaching earth. A comparison between these results with those already available in the literature for adsorption onto acid activated bleaching earth will allow the understanding of how adsorption mechanisms may interfere in the color of refined palm oil. The physical deacidification will be studied through computer simulation. In this study, the chemical reactions of cis-trans isomerization, hydrolysis of fatty acids and thermal degradation of carotenes will be considered. Furthermore, the equations of all heat transfer phenomena involved in the process will be considered. In this way, it is expected to develop a simulation program that can predict satisfactorily the process, and thus, define the optimum processing conditions. (AU)