Agricultural oil processing using potassium hydroxide

Abstract

A method of processing agricultural oil in which non-toxic reagents are used, so that a waste stream is evolved suitable for use as a nutrient source and wherein the non-toxic reagents include nutrient source and wherein the non-toxic reagents include nutrient components whereby the nutrient value of the waste stream is enhanced. A variation of convention refining is detailed in which potassium hydroxide is used as refining caustic instead of conventional sodium hydroxide. The resulting process exhibits improvements in waste wash characteristics, more complete oil recovery, less oil in the soapstock, reduced interlayer formation, more soap removed from the refined oil into the soapstock stream, and a less viscous soapstock.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A process of refining agricultural oils in which refined oil is separated from soapstock by addition of a caustic, characterized by the fact that: the caustic employed is predominantly potassium hydroxide.  
     
     
         2 . A process as recited in  claim 1 , further characterized by the fact that: the caustic employed is potassium hydroxide.  
     
     
         3 . A process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the refined oil is subjected to one or more water wash cycles and further characterized by the fact that: significantly fewer cycles are used to obtain desired purity when compared with a process in which sodium hydroxide is employed as the caustic.  
     
     
         4 . A process as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the refined oils is subjected to one or more water wash cycles and further characterized by the fact that: significantly less water is used per cycle to obtain desired purity when compared with a process in which sodium hydroxide is employed as the caustic.  
     
     
         5 . A process as recited in  claim 1 , further characterized by the fact that: the refined oil has a higher degree of clarity then in a process in which sodium hydroxide is employed as a caustic.  
     
     
         6 . A process as recited in  claim 1 , further characterized by the fact that: significantly more refined oil is separated from the crude oil and significantly less oil is lost in a separator waste stream than in a process in which sodium hydroxide is employed as the caustic.  
     
     
         7 . A process as recited in  claim 1 , in which an interlayer forms and further characterized by the fact that there is a significant reduction in the volume of the interlayer compared with a process in which sodium hydroxide is employed as the caustic.  
     
     
         8 . A process as recited in  claim 1 , further characterized by the fact that: there is significant reduction in the viscosity of the soapstock when compared with a process in which sodium hydroxide is employed as the caustic.