Residue extraction from a sorbent via (trans-)esterification
AssigneeVito NV
InventorsBrecht Vanlerberghe, Kathy Elst, Sandra Corderi Gandara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention relates to a method for reducing the amount of one or more of a residue, such as a fat residue or oil residue, entrapped in a spent sorbent. The present invention further pertains to the sorbent obtained by the present method.
Claims14
A method for reducing the amount of a residue which is entrapped in a spent sorbent, comprising the steps of:
- a) drying a spent sorbent comprising the residue, thereby obtaining a dried spent sorbent;
- b) subjecting the residue entrapped in the dried spent sorbent obtained from step a) to a (trans-)esterification reaction by contacting the dried spent sorbent with at least one alcohol, thereby obtaining one or more esters from said residue;
- c) removing the one or more esters obtained at step c) from the sorbent, thereby obtaining a sorbent having a reduced amount of the residue.
- wherein step b) is conducted at a temperature greater than 200° C.
The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein at step a) the spent sorbent is dried at a temperature from 50° C. to 150° C.
The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the alcohol used in step b) comprises one or more alcohols selected from the list of methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol.
The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the residue entrapped in the spent sorbent is a fat residue or an oil residue.
The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein the spent sorbent is a spent bleaching earth.
The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein step b) is performed at elevated pressure, above atmospheric pressure.
The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein step b) is conducted with a reaction mixture consisting of the alcohol and the dried spent sorbent obtained at step a).
The method according to any one of the previous claims, wherein at step b) the dried sorbent and the alcohol are provided in a solid to liquid ratio expressed in g/ml of from 0.01 to 10, preferably from 0.02 to 5, more preferably from 0.025 to 4.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.