In this study, the ability of two ultrafiltration polymeric membranes to pe
rform the degumming of a crude soybean oil/hexane mixture is tested. The pe
rformance of both membranes is defined in terms of their permeation flux, p
ermeate color, and rejection of phospholipids. One of the membranes was syn
thesized in our laboratories from polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF); the other
one is a commercially available membrane made of polyimide. The degumming e
xperiments were done in a stirred dead-end ultrafiltration cell pressurized
with N-2. Results show that tested membranes are suitable for removing pho
spholipids from the crude oil/hexane miscella in the range of temperature a
nd transmembrane pressure utilized in this work. Both membranes have high s
electivity regarding phospholipids and produce a moderate reduction in perm
eate color. The PVDF membrane gives permeate fluxes up to threefold larger
than those obtained with polyimide membrane at the same operational conditi
ons, making the former more suitable for use at industrial scale.