MISCELLA REFINING OF ISOPROPANOL EXTRACTED COTTONSEED OIL

A technologically feasible cottonseed oil-isopropyl alcohol (IPA) misc ella refining process was developed to produce Prime Bleachable Summer Yellow (PBSY) quality cottonseed oil. Individual steps necessary to r efine cottonseed oil-IPA miscella were determined and improved The mis cella was first neutralized with 20 Baume (Be') caustic solution (50% excess) using a homogenizer. After centrifugation to remove soapstock, the two remaining liquid layers were separated and desolventized. The refined oils from bottom and top layers were then water washed using 12.5 and 20% hot water (w/w), respectively. Water washing efficiently recovered the oil from the top miscella layer and reduced soap and pho sphorus contents. The water washed and dried oil from the bottom and t op layers were treated with 0.5 and 4% (w/w) acid-activated bleaching clay, respectively. Good quality bleached oil was then obtained. Howev er, the quality of bleached oil produced from the bottom layer was bet ter than that of the top layer. Comparative experiments with both IPA and hexane miscellas shelved that quality of the refined oil from cott onseed oil-IPA miscella is as good as that produced from the cottonsee d oil-hexane miscella using the process developed in this study.