Process to remove impurities from triacylglycerol oil

• US 8,945,644 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2010
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cavitation Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cavitation Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Gordon, Roman, Gorodnitsky, Igor, Grichko, Varvara
• Primary Examiner(s): Boyer, Randy
• Application Number:
  US12/883,328
• Publication Number:
  US 20110003370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,601 Days
• Field of Search: 426/238
• US Class Current: 426/238
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4323 using elements provided with a plurality of channels or using a plurality of tubes which can either be placed between common spaces or collectors
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/433 Mixing tubes wherein the shape of the tube influences the mixing, e.g. mixing tubes with varying cross-section or provided with inwardly extending profiles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4335 Mixers with a converging-diverging cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4336 Mixers with a diverging cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/45 Mixers in which the materials to be mixed are pressed together through orifices or interstitial spaces, e.g. between beads B01F25/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4521 the components being pressed through orifices in elements, e.g. flat plates or cylinders, which obstruct the whole diameter of the tube
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/82 Combinations of dissimilar mixers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/821 with consecutive receptacles
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 10/002 carried out in foam, aerosol or bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/0066 Stirrers mixing per se B01F
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/008 Processes for carrying out reactions under cavitation conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/02 Apparatus characterised by being constructed of material selected for its chemically-resistant properties
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/2415 Tubular reactors
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0218 of ceramic
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0231 of diamond
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/0245 of synthetic organic material
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 3/001 by a combination of two or more of the means hereafter
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 3/005 by wave energy or electric current, e.g. electrodialysis
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 3/006 by extraction
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 3/04 with acids
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 3/16 : by mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: C11C 3/003 : by esterification of fatty acids with alcohols C11C3/02 takes precedence

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a process to remove impurities from triacylglycerol oil including mixing the oil and a fluidic agent, pumping the mixture through a flow-through hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus at a pre-determined inlet pump pressure, creating hydrodynamic cavitation in the mixture, maintaining the hydrodynamic cavitation for a pre-determined period of time, moving the impurities from the oil to the fluidic agent, and then separating the fluidic agent from the oil. The impurities can include phytosterols, sterol glucosides, acylated sterol glucosides, in which case the fluidic agent is water, an alkali hydroxide, an inorganic base, an organic base, phosphoric acid, citric acid, acetic acid or a mixture thereof. The impurities may also include phosphatides, in which case and the fluidic agent comprises water and an enzyme such as phospholipase, a lipid acyltransferase or a mixture thereof.

Claims

1. A process to remove impurities from triacylglycerol oil, comprising the steps of:

mixing the oil and a fluidic agent to form a fluidic mixture having an oil phase and a water phase;

pumping the fluidic mixture through a single- or multi-stage, flow-through hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus;

creating hydrodynamic cavitation in the fluidic mixture by pumping the fluidic mixture at a pre-determined inlet pump pressure;

maintaining the hydrodynamic cavitation in the fluidic mixture for a pre-determined period of time;

moving the impurities from the oil phase to the water phase; and

separating the water phase from the oil phase.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the oil includes oil, fat, tallow or grease derived from a wild type, mutated or genetically altered unicellular or multicellular algae, plant, animal or mixture thereof.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the oil is crude, refined, pressed, extracted, filtrated, or dewatered.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the oil is liquefied prior to performing the mixing step.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein the oil comprises a multi-phase blend of immiscible liquids, solutes, acids, bases, salts, or gasses comprising a dispersion, an emulsion, a suspension, a melted solid, a gas in a supercritical condition or a mixture thereof.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the flow-through hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus comprises a high-energy, jet collision hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus or a spinning, rotor-stator hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the fluidic mixture within at least one region inside the hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus has a cavitation number less than or equal to one when calculated using the equation:

C_v=(P−

P_v)/0.5ρ

V², where C_v is the cavitation number, P is the fluid pressure downstream of a constriction, P_v is the vapor pressure of the fluidic mixture, ρ

is the density of the fluidic mixture, and V is the velocity of the fluidic mixture at the constriction.

8. The process of claim 1, wherein the separating step is performed by absorption, centrifugation, decantation, distillation, extraction, filtration, freezing, settling, sedimentation or combination thereof.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the maintaining step further comprises the step of repeating the pumping and creating steps one or more times in one or more hydrodynamic cavitation apparatuses.

10. The process of claim 1, wherein the mixing step includes diluting the oil with an organic solvent.

11. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of cavitating the oil prior to performing the mixing step.

12. The process of claim 1, wherein the fluidic mixture is heated or cooled prior to performing the pumping step.

13. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of introducing ammonia gas, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or mixture thereof to the fluidic mixture before or during the pumping, creating and/or maintaining steps.

14. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of immobilizing reagents, oxides, nitrides, ceramics, plastics, polytetrafluoroethylene, nanodiamonds, nanotubes, or combinations thereof onto inner walls of the hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus or onto a removable insert configured for insertion into the hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus.

15. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of placing a selective membrane and/or bleaching earth in an end chamber of the hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus or in a chamber located downstream of the hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus.

16. The process of claim 1, wherein the oil is degassed prior to performing the pumping, creating and/or maintaining steps.

17. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of subjecting the fluidic mixture to acoustic cavitation.

18. The process of claim 1, further comprising the step of subjecting the fluidic mixture to an external electric and/or magnetic field to enhance hydrodynamic cavitation-assisted purification.

19. The process of claim 1, wherein the impurities comprise phytosterols, sterol glucosides and/or acylated sterol glucosides.

20. The process of claim 19, wherein the fluidic agent is water comprising 0.1-10% v/v of the fluidic mixture.

21. The process of claim 20, wherein the water is distilled, de-ionized, reverse osmosis-purified, soft water or conditioned water.

22. The process of claim 19, wherein the fluidic agent is a solution of an alkali hydroxide comprising sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, an inorganic base, an organic base or a mixture thereof.

23. The process of claim 19, wherein the fluidic agent is a solution of phosphoric acid, citric acid, acetic acid or a mixture thereof.

24. The process of claim 19, wherein the separating step, as it relates to phytosterol impurities, is carried out contemporaneously with the maintaining step.

25. The process of claim 19, wherein the separating step, as it relates to sterol glucosides, acylated sterol glucosides and/or derivative-enriched concentrates of the same, further comprises the steps of:

liquefying the separated sterol glucosides, acylated sterol glucosides and/or derivative-enriched concentrates thereof by preheating and/or treating the same with solvents and/or liquefying agents;

adding enzymes or chemical agents to the liquefied sterol glucosides, acylated sterol glucosides and/or derivative-enriched concentrates thereof;

subjecting the liquefied sterol glucosides, acylated sterol glucosides and/or derivative-enriched concentrates thereof combined with enzymes or chemical agents to flow-through hydrodynamic cavitation; and

releasing entrapped oil in the liquefied sterol glucosides, acylated sterol glucosides and/or derivative-enriched concentrates thereof.

26. The process of claim 1, wherein the impurities comprise phosphatides and the fluidic agent comprises water and an enzyme.

27. The process of claim 26, wherein the fluidic mixture is heated or cooled to a temperature in the range of 40-60°

C. for optimal enzyme activity.

28. The process of claim 26, wherein the enzyme comprises a phospholipase, a lipid acyltransferase or a mixture thereof.

29. The process of claim 28, wherein the phospholipase is a wild type, mutated or recombinant bacterial, yeast, plant or animal phospholipase A, phospholipase A1, phospholipase A2, phospholipase B, lysophospholipase, phospholipase C, phospholipase D, phosphodiesterase, lipid acyltransferase, phosphodiesterase or mixture thereof.

30. The process of claim 29, wherein the oil is mixed with water and the mixture is subjected to hydrodynamic cavitation followed by the addition of the phospholipase, lipid acyltransferase or mixture thereof.

31. The process of claim 26, further comprising the steps of:

reacting the phosphatides in the fluidic mixture with the enzyme;

agitating the fluidic mixture for a pre-determined period of time to allow completion of the phosphatide reaction; and

stopping the phosphatide reaction.

32. The process of claim 31, wherein phosphatide reaction is stopped by heating;

changing the pH;

applying an inhibitor, protease or chelating agent that forms a complex with the enzyme'"'"'s co-factor;

carrying out high-shear mixing;

ultrasonic cavitation; and

/or subjecting to hydrodynamic cavitation.

33. The process of claim 31, wherein the separating step comprises the step of removing the reacted phosphatides.

34. The process of claim 33, wherein the reacted phosphatides are removed by absorption, centrifugation, decantation, extraction, filtration, freezing, membrane filtration, or sedimentation.

35. The process of claim 33, wherein the separating step, as it relates to the removed phosphatides, further comprises the steps of:

liquefying the removed phosphatides by preheating the removed phosphatides, and/or adding solvents and liquefying agents to the removed phosphatides;

subjecting the liquefied phosphatides to flow-through hydrodynamic cavitation; and

releasing entrapped neutral oils and liberating diacylglycerols and fatty acids in the liquefied phosphatides.

36. The process of claim 33, wherein the separating step, as it relates to the removed phosphatides, further comprises the steps of:

liquefying the removed phosphatides by preheating the removed phosphatides, and/or adding solvents and liquefying agents to the removed phosphatides;

adding releasing agents and/or lipid acyltransferase, lipase, phospholipase or a mixture thereof to the liquefied phosphatides; and

releasing entrapped oils in the liquefied phosphatides.

37. The process of claim 26, further comprising the step of immobilizing the enzyme onto a removable cartridge, grid, filter, insert, inner surface, magnet, magnetic particles, metal particles, plastic particles, nanoparticles, nanotubes, nanodiamonds, carbonaceous nanoparticles, particles and/or carriers placed at desired locations within the hydrodynamic cavitation apparatus.