Separators for animal and vegetable fats and oils
Vegetable oils and fats
Vegetable-oil degumming
Gums are usually removed from oils containing significant quantities of phosphatides, vegetable gums, colloidal compounds and so on with the intention among others of increasing the oils' shelf lives. A variety of methods of removing gum employing specially designed separators may be used to this end.
Water gum removal from gums that may be hydrated: the hydrating process prevents the phosphatides from dissolving in the oil thus causing them to precipitate so that they may then be centrifugally removed with the help of separators. Acid gum removal from gums that cannot be hydrated: these may be conditioned into hydrated forms with the help of strong acids. The phospholipids will be destroyed here so that hot water may be added once the oil has been mixed with a suitable acid and a brief reaction period has been allowed to pass. The gums may then be centrifugally removed with the help of a separator.
Water gum removal from gums that may be hydrated: the hydrating process prevents the phosphatides from dissolving in the oil thus causing them to precipitate so that they may then be centrifugally removed with the help of separators. Acid gum removal from gums that cannot be hydrated: these may be conditioned into hydrated forms with the help of strong acids. The phospholipids will be destroyed here so that hot water may be added once the oil has been mixed with a suitable acid and a brief reaction period has been allowed to pass. The gums may then be centrifugally removed with the help of a separator.
Neutralization of vegetable oils
Free fatty acids may be removed by neutralization. Standard neutralization processes employ caustic soda to convert the free fatty acids into soap stock which may then be removed centrifugally by separators.
Re-refining
A second neutralization process may be carried out to further optimize the quality of the oil particularly in regard to colour and taste. But this only delivers benefits for specific types of oil.
Vegetable oil washing
Soap residues in oils may be washed out. To this end, hot water may be added so that the mix may be separated into washed oil and soap stock with the help of separators. The oil may be washed in one or two stages.
Winterization
Oils containing waxes, stearin or other high-melting substances that crystallize at low temperatures and so cause cloudiness are usually winterized. Separators may be used for the winterization process.
Clarification of deep-frying fat and roasting oils
Residues of solids may be removed with self-cleaning disc separators; the oils' and fats' shelf lives will increase when solids are removed.
Bio-diesel
Various separating tasks must be fulfilled during the transesterification of fats and oils in the production of bio-diesel; these tasks may be carried out with the help of centrifugal separating technologies. For instance, separators may be used for the gum-removal, pre-esterification and transesterification, washing and polishing processes.
Animal oils and fats
Raw fats
Once the raw fats have run through the mincer and melting tube and have been clarified in advance by decanting, separators may be employed to separate them into glue water, fat and solids.
Secondary products
Centrifugal separating technology may be used at animal rendering plants in the production of animal fats (for the chemicals industry) and meat meal. Subsequently, the fat produced may be polished with the help of separators.
Gelatine
Centrifugal separating technology may be used in the production of gelatine from bones, skin and pork rinds. Separators may be used to remove the fat from and to finely clarify the gelatine.
Broths for cooking
Meat broths contain fats that may be removed for further processing with separators.
Blood plasma
Special separators may be used to separate fresh blood infused with anti-coagulation agents into blood plasma and blood concentrate. The blood concentrate may be further processed into blood meal; the plasma is used in the food industry.
Fish oil
Separators and decanters may also be used in the production of fish oil and fish meal. Following the boiling, compressing and/or decanting processes, separators may be employed to remove oil from the press water in two stages and three-phase decanters may be used to polish the oil.
Fish-protein hydrolyzate
The oil and protein-containing phases may be polished in separators after crushing, enzymatic decomposition and separation into solids, into the oil phase and watery phase with the help of three-phase decanters.
Protein hydrolyzate
The fat and protein-containing phases are polished in separators after crushing, enzymatic decomposition and separation into solids, into the fat phase and watery phase with the help of three-phase decanters.
Eggs
The removal of shell residues and chalazae and so on are regular tasks when eggs are processed into basic or secondary resources for the food industry. Special clarifying separators are excellently suited for such tasks.
