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Separation of Sunflower Oil from Hexane by Use of Composite Polymeric Membranes

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society

Abstract

Vegetable oil extraction, as performed today by the oilseed-crushing industry, usually involves solvent extraction with commercial hexane. After this step, the vegetable oil–hexane mixture (miscella) must be treated to separate its components by distillation. If solvent-resistant membranes with good permeation properties can be obtained, membrane separation may replace, or be used in combination with, conventional evaporation. Two tailor-made flat composite membranes, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF–Si and PVDF–CA) and a commercially available composite membrane (MPF-50), were used to separate a crude sunflower oil–hexane mixture. The effects of temperature, cross-flow velocity (v), transmembrane pressure (Δp), and feed oil concentration (C f) on membrane selectivity and permeation flux were determined. The PVDF–Si membrane achieved the best results, being stable in commercial hexane and having promising permselectivity properties for separation of vegetable oil–hexane miscella. Improved separation performance was obtained at C f = 25%, Δp = 7.8 bar, T = 30 °C, and v = 0.8 m s−1; a limiting permeate flux of 12 Lm−2 h−1 and 46.2% oil retention were achieved. Low membrane fouling was observed under all the experimental conditions studied.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the National Research Council of Argentina (CONICET) and the National Agency for Scientific Promotion (ANPCYT) for their financial assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Facultad de Ingeniería, UNRC, Ruta No 36, Km 601, 5800, Río Cuarto, Argentina

    C. Pagliero & P. Martino

  2. Universidad Nacional de San Luis, INFAP, Chacabuco 915, 5700, San Luis, Argentina

    N. A. Ochoa & J. Marchese

Authors
  1. C. Pagliero
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  2. N. A. Ochoa
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  3. P. Martino
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  4. J. Marchese
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Correspondence to J. Marchese.

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Pagliero, C., Ochoa, N.A., Martino, P. et al. Separation of Sunflower Oil from Hexane by Use of Composite Polymeric Membranes. J Am Oil Chem Soc 88, 1813–1819 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-011-1839-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-011-1839-3

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