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OwnerDonald R. Hall, Michael R. Hall +2inventors
InventorsDonald R. Hall, Michael R. Hall, Michael Moser, L.V. Benningfield JR.
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A process for extracting a fat from a feedstock (e.g., chocolate liquor), includes mixing the feedstock with a liquefied gas solvent (e.g., butane), filtering, washing the retentate with additional solvent, refiltering, drying, granulating, aerating the granulate, and separating the fat from the solvent in the original filtrate. The mixing, filtering, washing, refiltering, drying, and granulating are conducted under an atmosphere consisting essentially of the solvent vapor. An improved solvent extraction process includes repeatedly loading and unloading an extractor with solvent and feedstock to extract fat from the feedstock, wherein throughout loading, extracting, unloading and repeating: (a) a pressure in the extractor is continuously maintained above atmospheric pressure; (b) the extractor is continuously maintained under an oxygen-free atmosphere; and/or (c) the extractor is continuously maintained under an atmosphere consisting essentially of a vapor of the solvent.
A process for extracting a fat from a feedstock, said process comprising:
In a solvent extraction process comprising loading into an extractor a first batch including a feedstock and a solvent, extracting into said solvent a fat from said feedstock, unloading from said extractor said first batch after said extracting, and repeating said loading, said extracting and said unloading at least once, the improvement wherein a pressure in said extractor is continuously maintained above atmospheric pressure throughout said loading, said extracting, said unloading and said repeating.
In a solvent extraction process comprising loading into an extractor a first batch including a feedstock and a solvent, extracting into said solvent a fat from said feedstock, unloading from said extractor said first batch after said extracting, and repeating said loading, said extracting and said unloading at least once, the improvement wherein said extractor is continuously maintained under an oxygen-free atmosphere throughout said loading, said extracting, said unloading and said repeating.
In a solvent extraction process comprising loading into an extractor a first batch including a feedstock and a solvent, extracting into said solvent a fat from said feedstock, unloading from said extractor said first batch after said extracting, and repeating said loading, said extracting and said unloading at least once, the improvement wherein said extractor is continuously maintained under an atmosphere consisting essentially of a vapor of said solvent throughout said loading, said extracting, said unloading and said repeating.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.