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Bleaching off‐colored cottonseed oils with activated alumina: A preliminary cost study
Author(s) -
Decossas K. M.,
Molaison L. J.,
Eaves P. H.,
Pons W. A.,
Patton E. L.
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
journal of the american oil chemists' society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.512
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1558-9331
pISSN - 0003-021X
DOI - 10.1007/bf02632662
Subject(s) - colored , cottonseed oil , pulp and paper industry , bleach , cottonseed , chemistry , environmental science , waste management , materials science , composite material , food science , organic chemistry , engineering
The majority of off‐colored cottonseed oils can be bleached to a prime color with 4% by weight or less of activated alumina in a single operation. Increasing the amount of alumina beyond 4% makes it possible to bleach the most difficult‐to‐bleach off‐colored cottonseed oils. Although additional research is required to establish the process and optimize conditions, results of a preliminary cost study indicate that this method should be competitive on a large scale with rerefining followed by conventional earth bleaching. A flow sheet is given. Investment and operating costs are reported for bleaching for six months annually in plants having daily capacities of 100,000, 500,000, and 1,000,000 lb of cottonseed oil, prime and/or off‐colored, in batches of 6,000, 30,000, and 60,000 lb, respectively. It is estimated that alumina bleaching of off‐colored oil, with solvent extraction of oil from spent alumina, would cost as little as 0.4Ţ/lb in the largest plant, 0.5Ţ/lb in the medium plant, and 1.2Ţ/lb in the small plant. These costs are calculated on the basis of the use of 4% alumina by weight of oil for off‐colored oil during one‐fourth of the season, in combination with 1%, 2%, or 4% of alumina for prime oil during three‐fourths of the season. Costs could be lowered by reducing oil losses and losses of alumina in regeneration, increasing filtration rates, and lowering alumina price as a result of additional research on its preparation. Lowered cost would make the method more attractive for prime oils as well.