UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL
AND BIOSYSTEMS ENGINEERING

FEB 461: PROCESS AND FOOD

ENGINEERING
TERM PAPER
TITLE:.PROCESSING OF
CASTOR OIL

AUTHOR: MATILU URBANUS NDUNDA

REG. NO: F21/0026/2005

SUBMITTED TO: MR. E.B.K. MUTAI

INTRODUCTION

Castor oil ranks high in importance among the vegetable oils that used industrially.
Although the forage does not approach that of soybean oil and some other oils that are
used principally for food, annual production of castor oil amounts to impressive figures
nevertheless. In 1948, when production was of the highest rate ever attained, the
estimated quantity of castor seed produced through out the world was 515000 tons,
enough to yield more than 400 million pounds of castor oil.

This is one of most interesting of the vegetable oils, in spite of the unpleasant memories
that often are associated with it. It is district in character and has a peculiar composition
which gives it great veracity. Its special properties adapt to certain uses for which most
other oils are unsuitable. Not only is the oil itself used in a variety of compositions, but
also it is capable of under going several kinds of chemical transformations by which it
converted into numerous useful derivatives.

Many examples of the use of vegetable oil as a chemical raw material, some of
which originated many years ago, may be drawn from the technology of castor oil. The
aim of this term paper is to provide review of processing currently in for refining and
modifying castor oil. The widely differing characteristics for different species of castor
plant from all over the world have given rise to extraction. All these extraction processes,

however, have the following common objectives.

a) To obtain oil from injured and as free as possible from undesirable

impositions.
b) To obtain oil in as high a yield as in constant with the economy of the
process.
c) To produce an oil cake or residue of the greatest possible value.

In extracting oil from castor seeds these are some major different that arise. These result
from basic different in the supply of raw materials. For instance some mill operates
domestic cast seeds, and they are usually located close to the production areas.
Frequently, only one type of castor seed is processed.

The quality of the seed is generally high, with relatively little variation in seed
characteristics through the processing season or from one season to another. On the other
hand, other mills process imported raw materials almost exclusively, and each mill must
be prepared to handle variety of castor seeds differing widely in quality and processing
characterizes. As a result, the milling practice became highly specialized, with the object
in each case being to perform specific operation with the highest possible efficiency. The
residues from the processing of castor oil seeds are generally toxic and if specially treated
serve as animal feed staffs. Also, they are used as fertilizers and the like.

CASTOR PLANT

The castor plant, sometimes called Palma Christi, since it often is grown as an ornamental
plant in gardens and borders and it in tolerant of a wide range of climate conditions. In
temperate latitudes, it is an annual plant, but in the tropic,. It is perennial and becomes a
small tree which may reach a height of 30 feet or more. It requires a moderate amount of
rainfall, giving good result with 15 to 20 inches during the growing season. It approaches
the grain sorghums in its resistance to drought conditions and makes a rapid recovery
when moisture becomes available after periods of hot, dry weather.

One of the principal deterrents is the fact that the plant has hitherto required hand
harvesting. The seeds are borne in capsules clustered on spikes and in many varieties of
castor, the capsules pop when ripe and drop or throw the seed. Moreover, the separate
spikes do not all mature at the sometime so that with shattering varieties, the field has to
be gone over about once a week after the crop starts to mature.

The usual method of harvesting is to let off the spikes but hand, after which they are
further, dried if necessary and threshed to separate the seeds from the capsules. Varieties
suitable for mechanical harvesting are those which have relatively short plants 3 to 5 feet
tall, and grow to uniform height with fine stems; further, they must be shatter – resistant
so that the seed many be left on the plant until all are mature.

Much progress has been made in selecting and developing such varieties and is in
devising machinery for stripping the capsules from the plant. Such developments may
make castor a permanent crop in countries like united state of America but in view of past
history, where castor usually is grown on small farms, commonly together with coffee,
corn or other crops and where considerable quantities of seed are harvested from wild
plants. Before the middle thirties, India was the principal producing county but now it is
in second place. Brazil, India and the U.S.S.R together produce about 80% of the total
world output.

The castor plant is believed to have originated in tropical Africa or India and to have been
introduced into west India soon after their discovery. The presence of the seeds in the
sarcophagi of the ancient Egyptians and records of the use of the plant in ancient times.

CASTOR SEED
Castor seed are often referred to as castor beans, a practice which might well be dropped
since the plant is not a legume and the seed are not edible infact they are violently
poisonous. The seeds have a shape resembling that of a tick or battle with a sick mottled
hull, ranging in co lour among different varieties. Yields of seed in test plantings in
central Illinois were about 1500 pounds per acre for the best varieties, but in other
locations, the same varieties yielded about 500- 600 pounds per acre. Average yields in
Texas in 1950 were 504 pounds per acre.

Castor seeds vary considerable in size, depending upon variety and growing conditions.
Among different varieties, the average weight varies from about 0.1 gram to a little more
than 1 gram. The more usual size is between 0.3 and 0.5 gram. The seeds consist
principally of two parts, the hull and kernel. The kernel constitutes the main part of the
weight of the seed, varying from 70 to 80 percent and accounting on the average to about
75 percent of the total weight. Most of the weight of the kernel consists of endosperm
which encloses a small embryo. About two thirds of the weight of the kernel is oil. The
whole seed has an oil content ranging from 35 to 57 percent on air – dry basis; at about 5
percent moisture, most sample fall in the range 40 to 55 percent.
Castor seed contains a toxic material, xx which makes the residue from the extraction of
oil suitable for feeding purposes. The toxic material a protein which can be isolated in
highly purified and highly toxic form. Besides the xxx, the seed contains allergens which
cause some workers to be strongly affected by dust from castor seed. Besides these
materials, the seed contain also an effective fat- spilling enzymes which cause the fat in
rapidly if the seed becomes damages or wet.

PREPARATION CASTOR SEEDS.

Cleaning:
This is the first step in processing of castor oil it is done to remove foreign materials.
Sticks, stems, leaves, and similar trash are usually removed by means of revolving
screens or reels Sand or dirt is also removed by screening. Permanent of electromagnets
installed over a conveyer belt are used for the removal of lamp iron. Special “stone” are
employed for taking out heavy stone and mud balls from shelled castor seeds. A
pneumatic system will include on an aspirating area where the light material is pulled
through and the heavier material (usually the castor seed) gravities out. As stated,
cleaning of castor seeds is foreseeable carried out before the seeds are placed in storage;
often, however, it is not, since adequate cleaning capacity is costly.

Dehulling and separation of hulls wherever practical, castor seeds are preferably
decorticated before they are extracted. The hulls are low in oil content, usually containing
not more than about 1% although contamination with kernels will, of course increase the
oil content with resultant loss of available oil. If the hulls are not removed from the seeds
before the latter are extracted, they reduce the total yield of oil by absorbing and
refraining oil in the press cake and, in addition, reduce the capacity of the extraction
equipment.

The hulling machines used for the decortications of medium- sized castor seeds with a
flexible seed castor, are two principal types; bar huller and disc hullers. The rotating
member of a bar hullers is a cylinders equipped on its outer surface with a number of
slightly projecting. Longitudinally placed, sharply ground, square-edged knives’ bars’.
Opposed to the cylinder over an area corresponding to about one third of its surface is a
concave member provided with similar projecting bars. The seeds are fed between the
rotting cylinder and the concave member, and thee hulls are split as the seeds are caught
between the opposed cutting edges. The clearance between the cutting edge may be
adjusted for seed different sizes. The disc huller is more or less similar in principal to the
bar hullers, except that the cutting edges consist of grooves cut radically in the surfaces of
two opposed and vertically mounted discs, one of which is stationary and the other
rotating.

The seeds are fed to the centre of the disc and are discharged at their periphery by
centrifugal force with either types of huller the condition of the seed is somewhat critical.
Wet seeds are difficult to split cleanly and may clog the huller, particularly if it is of the
disc type. On the others land, if the seeds are varies dry, the kernels may disintegrate
excessively. Different seeds vary considerably in the readiness with which they fall out of
the spit hulls. Castor seed kernels or ‘meat’ are more adherent to the hull; consequently,
the hulls are customarily passed through a hull beater detach small meat particles after the
first separation of hulls and meats by screening. The separation systems used consists of
various combinations of vibrating screens and pneumatic lifts. It is necessary not to
separate the hulls from the meat, but also to separate and the hulls from the meats, but
also to separate and recycle a contain proportion of uncut seeds that escape the action of
the hulls. The following separation are commonly used
a) Separation of large meat particle from hulls and uncut seed by screening.
b) Separation hulls from uncut seed by an air lift.
c) Separation of small meat particle from hulls by beating and screening;
d) Separation of hulls by particles from meats by air.

In practical mill operation, the greatest yield of oil is obtained by nicely balancing the
degree of separation attained. If an attempt is made to separate hulls from the meats too
clearly, there will be loss of oil as a result of meats being carried over into the hulls. If an
excessive proportion of hulls are left in the kernels, there will likewise be an undue loss
of oil absorption by the hulls. Under certain conditions, there may be an appreciable loss
of into contact with the oily meat particles during the separation operation. It is generally
advisable to effect the separation of kernels and hulls as quality as possible after the seeds
are hulled to avoid excessive contact between hulls and kernels or kernel particles.

Dehulling is usually accomplished by first cracking seeds on cracking rolls and then
separating the hulls from the kennels in two stages: -

1. Hulls are screened from kennels and uncracked seeds and aspirated at the top
deck of a double shaking screen. uncracked seeds are returned to the cracking
rolls while the kennels are put on a second deck of fine mesh screen at the end of
which hulls are again aspirated. Fines are joined to the whole kennel flow.

2. Hulls that have been aspirated contain some kernel particles therefore these are
subjected to an air separation using a gravity table to separate the light hulls from
the heavier kernels. Depending on the degree of separation required middling
fraction may be taken and this is broken down on another gravity table.
 A somewhat different system makes use of simultaneous grinding aspiration to dehul
the seeds and separates the hulls; in general the choice of system depends on the
processor who may use many modifications of general techniques for his or her
purposes.
REDUCTION OF CASTOR SEEDS

The extraction of oil from castor seeds either by mechanical expression or by means of
solvents is facilities by reduction of the seeds by reduction of seeds and to small particles.
Opinion is divided to whether the grinding or rolling of oil seeds actually disrupts a large
proportion of oil bearing cells. The assumption of extensive cell breakage has in the past
been chiefly on the fact that seed flakes yield a large fraction of easily extractable oil on
treatments with solvents and a smaller fraction ( usually 10- 30 %) of oil that is extracted
with much grater difficulty. The formers fraction was presumed to come from broker
cells. However, seed that are cracked rather than rolled with a minimum of crashing
likewise yield a large fraction of oil that is easily washed out with solvents. In any event,
it appears that many oil cells remain intact after even the most careful reduction, and the
walls of these cells are mode permeable to the oil only by the action of heat and moisture
in the cooking operation. The cell wall, however, will be more readily acted by heat and
moisture if the seed particles are small. Obviously, rolling seed or seed particle into thin
flake will facilitate solvent extraction both from the disruptive, effect of rolling and by
reducing the distance. That solvent and oil must diffuse in and out of the seed during the
extraction process. The rate- controlling factor in solvent extraction of the molecular
diffusion of solvent and oil. From this then, the extraction rate should theoretically be in
indirect proportion to the square of the flake thickness; doubling the thickness, for
example should quadruple the time required for reduction of the residual oil to given
level. Using current batch extraction, calculation of the oil in meat from measurements of
the increase in miscella concentration is

The extraction rate is proportional to the 3.97 power of flake thickness, F and to the 3.5
power of the residue oil C. In practice, this would mean that if flake thickness were
reduced to one third of its former value, the extraction rate would be increased by (1/3) –
3.97. Similarly with constant flake thickness, if the oil content dropped from 20% to one
–tenth of that, or 2%, the extraction rate would decrease to less than three – thousand of
its initial value. Other factors should be considered however, such as the mechanical
strength of the flaked, the resistance offered by the flake mass to the flow of content, and
the ease with which miscella may be washed from flakes. Consequently, for solvent
extraction, seeds are not usually rolled to the least possible thickness. Also, thin flakes to
which oil seeds are reduced by smooth rolls are more satisfactory for hydraulic pressing
then the irregularly shaped particle obtained by grinding. Flaking rolls are essential for
preparing oil seed continuous solvent extraction since no other form of mil is capable of
forming particle that are thin enough to extract readily et large enough and coherent
enough to form a mass through which the solvent will freely flow. In preparation of
castor seeds for expression in expellers or scre press, the production of this particle is not
so essential as for hydraulic pressing since heat is generated and seed particle are broken
up by the intense sharing stresses developed in the barred of the expeller. A reasonable
high moisture content is required in seeds that are to be formed into thin, coherent flakes
very dry seeds do not flakes well. For solvent extraction,, cracked seeds are adjusted to a
moisture content of 10- 11% and flaked while still hot and slightly plastic , while at a
temperature of 52- 55 ⁰C. In some cases the cracked beans are steamed for short time
prior to flaking.

COOKING OF SEEDS

General considerations
It is conversely considered that castor seeds yield their oil more readily to mechanical
expression after cooking but a complete explanation of why this is so lacking its certain
that the changes brought a bout by coking are complex and that they are both chemical
and physicochemical in nature.

The oil droplets are almost auto microscopic in size and are distributed throutout the
seed. One effect of cooking is large enough to flow from the seed. A important factor in
this phase of the process in heat destruction of proteins and similar substances. Before the
proteins become coagulated through denaturation the oil droplets are vitally in the form
of emulsion coagulation causes the emulsion to break, after which these remains only the
problem of separating gross droplets of oil from the solid material in the seed. Since the
surface of the seed particles is highly extended, surface activity figures prominently in the
displacement of the oil .cooking in turn has a profound influence upon the surface
activity of the material. The primary objects of the cooking process may therefore are
summarized as follows:

a) To coagulate the proteins in the seed causing coalescence of oil droplets and
making the seeds permeable to the flow of oil and
b) To decrease the affinity of the oil for the solid surface of the seed are
subsequently pressed.
Important secondary effects of cooking are drying of the seeds to give seed mass proper
plasticity of moulds and bacteria increase of the fluidity of the oil through increase in
temperature.
One factor that obviously affects the affinity between the seed and the oil and is
amenable to control in the cooking operation is the moisture content of the seed very dry
seeds cannot be efficiently freed of their oil it is impossible to say how moisture inhibits
wafting between the seeds and oil it may be that cooking process produces a film of
absorbed liquid water on the seed surfaces that displaces the oil. On the other hand the
water may be in a more nearly bound state and its presence in the seed in this condition
may serve to make the seed surface relatively lip phobic. The optimum moisture of the
cooked seeds varies widely a according to the variety of the seed and the method to be
used for expression

Many substances in castor seeds are surface active such as phosphatides and free fatty
acids. The degree to which they are present or become active during cooking doubtless
influences the tendency of the seed to absorb and retain the oil. It is generally observed
that damaged seeds give owner yields of oil than undamaged seeds of equivalent oil
content. The tendency of damaged seeds to retain oil tenaciously is probably due to their
high content of free fatty acids or other surface active agents.

EFFECT ON QUALITY OIL AND OIL CAKE

In addition to its effects upon the yield of oil the method of cooking also markedly
determines the quality of both the oil and oil cake. Cooking is particularly important in its
relation to the refining loss of oil a large part of the oil lost in caustic refining of neutral
oil which is emulsified in the foots. Certain surface active agents naturally present in the
oil favor the emulsification others appear to inhabit it the relative classes of the two
classes of substances in the oil depend to a great extent on the operation of the cooker.

Normal cooking variations have little effect on the oil color or refining loss, although
with widely varying cooking conditions considerable differences are noted. As a practical
matter and based on air is not necessarily economical to produce low refining loss oil i.e.
unless oil penalties are sufficient to counteract any change in crude oil yield it may be to
the processor’s advantage to avoid partially refining the oil during preparation for
extraction.

In good cooking practice, flake meats are bought to a proximately 12-15 % moisture by
the time they are in the top kettle of the cooker where the temperature is reduced rapidly
to 620C or higher to inactivate the enzyme system and prevent free fatty acid arise during
the cooking. Healing should be continued in the presence of not less than 12% moisture
until the temperature is probably 840 C.

Overcooking of seeds has been recognized as undesirable for sometime since it may
produce abnormally dark oil and cake. These are also evident that the prolonged or
drastic cooking tends to be injurious to the nutritive properties of the cake.

COOKING FOR HYDRAULIC AND CONTINUOUS PRESSING

The cooking of seeds is usually carried out in stack cookers this consists of a series of
four to eight closed superimposed cylindrical steel kettle is normally jacketed four steam
heating on the bottom of and sometimes on the sides and is equipped with a sweep type
stirrer mounted close to the bottom operated by a common shaft extending through the
entire series of kettles.

These is an automatically operated gate in the bottom of all but the last kettle for
discharging the contents of the kettle below, the bottom kettle is provided with an exhaust
pipe with natural or forced draft for the removal of moisture thus it is possible for
control. The moisture to the seeds and each of the lower kettles is provided with an
exhaust pipe with natural or forced draft for the removal of moisture, thus it is possible to
control the moisture content but also at each stage of the operation.
In practice the rolled meats are delivered at a constant rate to the top kettle by means of a
conveyer. After a predetermined period of cooking in that the charge of meats is
automatically dropped to the kettle below there is a continuous progression of meat down
ward through the cooker.
The gates that govern the flow o meats from one kettle to another are kettle to another are
normally opened and closed automatically by a mechanism that engages the meats at a
specific level in each kettle. Thus the time that the meats charge remains in each kettle is
determined by the meats levels for which the kettles are set. A 2.16m, five high cookers,
a common size, has a rated capacity of about 90 tons of castor seed (calculated upon the
basis of the whole seed) per 24 hours.

Steam pressure on the upper stacks of a stack cooker is usually maintained at a relatively
high value for example 70-90 psi, in order to provide quick heating. On the lower stacks
is to usually reduced to somewhat, since it is necessary to only to maintain the heated
meets only at the heated meets at cooking temperature. The meats are kept in the cooker
for 30-120 minutes and leave at a temperature of 75-880 C seeds of god quality are
normally are normally cooked longer than poor seed, which tend to darken on prolonged
cooking.

In continuous operation of stack cooker, material first in is not always first out. The seeds
are usually moistened before cooking or during the early stages of cooking, and their
moisture content is then reduced in the cooker an initial moisture content of 9-14% is
common in the top kettle of the cooker. This stays relatively constant in the top two
kettles drying at the objective with increased temperatures and renting commonly
employed. The final moisture contact depends on the material processed and on whether
cooking is to be followed by hydraulic pressing or expeller or screw pressing.
MECHANICAL EXPRESSION OF OIL

batch pressing
In recent years increased mechanization and higher labor costs have made hydraulic
pressing of castor seeds uneconomical practically all cases. The oldest method d of oil
extraction comprise the application of pressure to batches of the castor seed confined in
bags, cloths cages or other suitable device .

Levels wages screws and so on have been used as a means as a applying pressure in the
most primitive style of pressure but modern presses are almost invariably activated by a
hydraulic pressing is often used in reference o batch pressing in general. This is a limited
user of mechanically operated presses for special purposes where only are relative light
pressure is required.

Bath presses may be divided into two main classes the open type which requires the only
material to b confined and the closed type which dispenses with press cloths and confines
the material in some specialize of cage. Open type presses may be subdivide into plate
presses and box presses closed types may be classified a put presses or cage presses.

The completeness with which the oil is recovered by mechanicals expression is

influenced by a number of factors related to the affinity of the oil for solid material in the
seed. This include the moisture content the method of cooking and the chemical
composition of the seed ; damaged seeds generally retain oil more tenaciously than the
seed of good quality. With a given lot of seed cooked and ready for pressing the oil yield
will depend on the rate at which the pressure is applied the maximum pressure attained,
the time allowed for oil drainage at full pressure, and the temperature of the viscosity of
the oil.

For hydraulic pressing of the castor seed

1. The hull content of meats to be pressed should be kept as lower a possible since
increased hulls are lower extraction efficiency and press capacity.
2. Pressure should be applied slowly at first more slowly than its customary.
3. Total pressure on the cake need not to be increased over 2000psi unless the final
cake thickness is 2.5cm for thin cake increasing the pressure has no effect on the
residual oil.
4. The cake should be kept as thin as economical consideration throughout of the
mill will permit.
5. The moisture content of the cake should be controlled carefully i.e. within a few
tenths of 1%) in order to retain minimum residual oil.
6. Since the top and the bot6tom cakes in the press are cooler than the middle cakes,
it is desirable to raise their temperature by appropriate means to obtain maximum
extraction efficiency.
7. Preferably pressing should be done at a temperature of 2500 F about 300 higher
than typical oil operation.

OPEN TYPE PRESSERS

The frame for an open type press consists four heavy vertical steel columns fastened at
this top and bottom to heavy and blocks. Within the open cage formed by the columns
and suspended from the top of the press are series of horizontal steel plates this plates
closely feel the space enclosed by the column. They are equally spaced at intervals of
about 7.5cm-12.5cm in and are suspended one from the other by linkages permitting the
entire assembly to become compressed in the pressing operation .the material to be
pressed is into a rectangular cakes that are placed between the various suspended plates
raising the ram comprises the series of the cakes and causes the oil to fall into a drip pan
resting on the bottom stock and is transmitted into longitudinal stress on the four
columns.

The edges of the cake coming from an open type press are open-type press soft and
higher in oil content than the reminder of the cake. Consequently it is in the usual
practice to slice or beat off these edges in mechanic cake trimmer and rework the
trimmings through presses.
CLOSED TYPE PRESSES

Cage presses confine the material within strong perforated steel cage during the pressing
operation and thus largely dispense with the use of press cloths they may be operated at
higher pressures than are practicable with open presses cages for that type of press are
built in both round and square forms. They are usually made up from a number of closely
spaced steel bars of slotted steel plates supported inside a heavy frame or ringed with
heavy steal bands. The channels through which the oil escapes increase inside from the
interior of the cage outward o minimize any tendency for them to be clogged with solid
particles oil is expressed from the charge by forcing a closely fitting head into the cage
from below by means of a hydraulic opened ram.

CONTINOUS PRESSING
A screw press in is essential a continuous device for gradually increasing the pressure or
material fed to it as the latter progresses inside a closed barrel with provisions for the oil
to drain out as it is squeezed from the feed stock. a column or a plug of compressed meal
is formed at the discharge end of the barrel acting like a hydraulic press head with new
cake being with new cake being formed at the end a cake is expelled past a choke device.
Fresh feed is forced in by feed worms against the frictional resistance of the plug at the
choke this creates a hydraulic pressing equivalent to that of a hydraulic press ram.

Labor required is much less than that of higher power requirements and maintenance
costs .however the grater oil yield (3-4%) oil I cake versus 6-10% in hydraulic cake ) and
reduced labor more than make p for the increased power and maintenance.

Expellets utilize a vertical cage to express the most easily removal oil followed by a
horizontal cage for attainment of the high pressure necessary of removal of most of the
remaining oil. Screw presses use only a horizontal cage.

Where pressure gradually built up to a maximum another point of difference is the

method of cooling. Expellers are cooled by product oil, after removal of ‘foots’ in a
screening tank and cooling in heat exchanges to reduce the temperature to approximately
1200F. Screw process, on the other hand, are equipped with water-cooled shafts and
water-cooled ribs in the bar cages.

In both types of machine the pressure necessary to force the oil out of the cooked flakes
is obtained by means of continuously rotating worm shafts and worms, with choke
mechanisms by means of which cake thickness is controlled. The main worm shaft and
worms are designed to exert time to convey the seed through and out of the pressure
chambers. The drainage barrel is made up of a rectangular bars which fit into a heavy
barrel frame. The individual bars in the drainage barrel are separated by bar spacing
clips; the specific spacings depending on the type and preparation of the material being
processed. The spacing of the bars not only permits the drainage of oil from the material
being processed, but also acts as a coarse filter medium for the solids.

Tonnage may also be increased without loss in efficiency by having a minimum amount
of hills in the expeller feed. Since the expeller appears to handle a certain volume of
feed, removal of hulls makes it possible to increase capacity by removing essentially non
extractable material from the feed. This also minimizes wear from the highly abrasive
hulls.

LOW – PRESSURE PRESSING

For the repressing of castor seeds prior to extraction, ordinary high-pressure screw
presses may be operated at low pressure and at increased capacity. Advantages of
repressing include the need for only a minimum-sized solvent plant, since most of the oil
is removed in the repressing step, and the production of meal of high protein.
Disadvantages are higher initial equipment costs, higher power requirements and repairs.

SOLVENT EXTRACTION
This is the most efficient and advantageous method in the processing of seeds. The
minimum oil content to which oil cake can be reduced by mechanical expression is
approximately 2 – 3%. Consequently, the oil unrecoverable by mechanical expression, in
terms of percentage of the total oil, increases progressively as the oil content of the seeds
decreases.

Since minimum heat treatment is involved, oil produced by solvent extraction is of

maximum quality, and the meal contains protein subjected to a minimum damage due to
the effects of heat. On the other hand, there are several disadvantages.

1. Solvent extraction equipment is relatively expensive compared to other extraction

systems.
2. Except where nonflammable solvents can be used, there is the ever-present danger
of fire and explosion.
3. Low-oil-content meal tends to be dusty with attendant problems.
4. Unheated flakes from the direct extraction of raw flakes may contain material that
is toxic and is not removed or inactivated by the relatively mild processing, thus
requiring further treatment.

METHODS OF ACHIEVING CONTACT WITH SOLVENT.

The laboratory extraction of oil from castor seeds in an ordinary butt extraction is an
example of solvent extraction in its simplest form. In this extraction procedure the pure
solvent is delivered continuously to the top of the mass of material to be extracted and is
percolated through the mass by gravity until the removal of oil is sustainably complete.
Complete extraction can be accomplished only by the use of a large volume of solvent
relative to the volume of oil extracted, and this solvent must eventually be recovered
from the oil. Even in the most efficient extraction plants, charges for steam and water for
solvent recovery constitute a substantial part of the operating costs; if the solvent/oil ratio
is highly, such charges may easily become prohibitive. A prime objects in modern
solvent extraction practice is, therefore, to reduce the solvent content of the final miscella
or oil-solvent mixture to the lowest possible figure.
Efficiency is somewhat improved if the continuous percolation of fresh solvent is
replaced by prolonged treatment of the castor seeds other material with successive
portions of solvent. Each portion is re-circulated through the material being extracted
until equilibrium or near equilibrium is established between the oil content of the solid
material and that of the solvent, I.e. until free miscella is as rich in oil as the miscella
absorbed within the solid particles. When this condition is attained, the free miscella is
drained off, a fresh batch of solvent is brought into the system and the operation is
repeated. Extraction is thus continued in successive cycles of recirculation and drainage
until the oil content of the material is reduced to the value desired.

Although batch extraction by means of percolation is satisfactory for castor seeds, it is

not generally adaptable to the large – scale processing. It is virtually impossible to
charge large extraction chambers with castor seed flakes without uneven compacting of
the material and consequent channeling and incomplete extraction; hence batch extractors
for castor seeds are generally provided with some means for mechanically mixing the
solvent and the seed particles. From the standpoint of efficiency in maintaining a low
solvent/oil ratio, however, it is immaterial whether the solvent and the castor seeds are
brought into equilibrium with respect to oil content by circulating the solvent through the
seeds while the latter are contained in a tower or by simply intermixing the solvent and
seeds in a chamber of suitable design. The system of extraction by means of successive
batches of pure solvent is generally referred to as multiple extraction.

The last portions of miscella recovered in the multiple extraction process will naturally be
very lean in oil; hence these portions may well be substituted for fresh solvent in the
initial treatment of fresh seed. In this way each portion of the solvent is made to perform
a double duty, and the amount of solvent to be recovered eventually from the oil is
decreased accordingly. A batch extraction system set up in such a manner as to utilize
the principle of solvent reuse to the best possible advantage is designated as a batch
countercurrent system, where a battery of extractors is provided and the solvent is used to
treat the contents of each extractor in succession. Each time a batch of miscella is
drained from an extractor, it is used to treat a batch of castor seeds that have previously
been extracted with a richer miscella. On the other hand, the drained seeds are each time
extracted with a leaner miscella. Thus the seeds are treated with batches of solvent of
progressively decreasing oil content, until they are finally extracted with a fresh solvent
and discharged, while the solvent is brought into contact with batches of seed of
progressively increasing oil content until it finally encounters fresh seed and is then
discharged as the finished miscella. In this way the miscella is brought out of the system
at a uniformly high oil content. If there area large number of extractors in the battery, the
effect approximates that of mixing the solvent and oil in continuously moving
countercurrent streams.

Although, batch countercurrent extraction may theoretically be brought to an efficiency

approaching that of continuous counter current extraction by sufficiently increasing the
number of extractors, the system thereby becomes unnecessarily cumbersome; in
practice, therefore, solvent extraction is carried out on the largest scale only in continuous
systems that are entirely automatic in operation. Such systems achieve the highest
economy of steam, power, labor and materials. The adaptability is limited only by the
mechanical difficulties involved in moving the seed mass and the miscella in opposite
directions with free intermixing and in effecting a final separation of the miscella and the
seed particles.

If its assumed in batch extraction that a constant volume of miscella is retained by the
castor seeds after each drainage period, and if this volume is known, one may calculate
the number of extractions required to reduce the oil content of the castor seeds to any
given level, in the case of either multiple or batch countercurrent extraction. Actually,
however, the retention of miscella is not usually constant but is variable for different
solvent/oil ratios, presumably because of the effect on drainage of such factors as
viscosity and surface tension of the miscella.

EXTRACTION RATES
In practice, the design of large-scale solvent extraction apparatus must be determined by
the rate at which equilibrium is attained between a lean miscella outside the seed particles
and oil and solvent within the particles. The attainment of equilibrium may be quite
slow, particularly as the oil content of the seed (on a dry, solvent-free basis) falls toward
the low level (usually below 1.0%) demanded by efficient commercial operation.
Modern investigations indicate that the rate at which equilibrium is approached (and
hence, in effect, the extraction rate) is influenced by a number of factors, including: the
intrinsic capacity for diffusion of solvent and oil, which is determined primarily by the
viscosities of the two; the size, the shape, and the internal structure of the seed particles;
and, at low seed oil levels, the rate at which the solvent dissolves non-glyceride
substances that are oil soluble but dissolve less readily than the glyceride portion of the
oil.

In a homogenous oil-impregnated material consisting of thin platelets of uniform

thickness whose total surface area is substantially that of the two faces, the theoretical
extraction rate, based on simple diffusion is given as

E = 8/2Σ 1/(2n+1)2exp-(2n+1)2(Π/2)2(Dθ/R2)
Where E is the fraction of the total oil unextracted at the end of time θ (in hours), R is
one-half the plate thickness (in metres), and D is the diffusion coefficient (in M2/hour)

Except θ, the preceding equation takes the approximate form

E=8 exp - Л2D θ

Л2 4R2

Or

Log10 E = - 0.091 – 1.07 D θ

R2

Hence at the lower values of E, a plot of Log E against θ gives a straight line with a slope
dependent on the diffusion coefficient and the plate thickness. The equation is valid only
when all platelets have the same thickness, and average plate thickness cannot be used for
a material of non-uniform thickness.

Working with porous clay plates impregnated with phosphatide free caster oil and with
tetrachloroethalene as a solvent, it was found that experimentally determined extraction
rates checked closely with theory .a lack of correspondence between the extraction rates
and the ray notes number of the flowing solvents, over a wide range of the latter,
indicated that the liquid form resistance to the transfer of the oil to the solvent was in
sequential as compared to resistance to diffusion within the plates. The diffusion
coefficient was found to be simply a function of the product of the vicious of the solvent
and oily under the particular conditions

i.e. D= 12.96x10-6 (µ0 µs) -0.46

With simple diffusion an increase in the extraction temperature can be expected to

increase the extraction rate by lowering the viscosities of the solvent and oil but that with
incomplete solubility of the oil additional effect scan be anticipated through an increase
in the solubility. The time required to reduce castor seeds to 1% residual oil content
varies with a power of the temperatures within hexane or a solvent hence a log time /100g
temperature plot yields a straight. For hexane extraction is all independent of the
concentration of castor seeds.

1. The oil and the race of extraction and the rate of extraction are all independent of
the concentration of oil in the solvent i.e. these can be no advantage in
countercurrent extraction.

2. The rate of extraction is proportioned to

a. Residual oil 3.5
b. Flake thickness-3.97 i.e. increasing flake thickness by three times
decrease.
EXTRACTION STANDARDS
Chiefly from experience with castor seeds, it is accepted what the commercial seed
extraction must reduce the oil content of the dry solid residue to less than 1.0% and
preferably to about 0.5%, to the efficient.
In making guarantees on castor seeds extraction equipment, manufactures usually specify
that the analysis be made on extracted flakes before toasting since it is generally
acknowledged that this is an increase in the apparent oil conte3nt during toasting.

Moreover since the appreciable toasting takes placer during the removal of solvents from
extracted flakes in dissolventizer-toasters, the analysis should be preferably made on
spent flakes that have been dissolvent zed without the use of steam or heat.

In any given installation, the objective is usually reducing the oil in meal to the contest
possible level; in actually practice this is probably desirable.

Solvents for oil extraction

The most common solvents used for extraction of castor oil are light paraffinic petroleum
fractions. The more popular products are cuts of fairy narrow boiling range, which are
distinguished according to the chain length of their principal components. ASTM boiling
ranges for the for the types of naphtha pentane type, 29-32C , hexane type 47-51
0C:heptine type ,63-68 0 C, and octane type, 70-86 0C.the hexane type naphtha is the
most widely used and the and the one generally preferred for castor oil extraction,
although the heptanes type product is also suitable for use in most modern plants .the
pentane type finds limited use in the extraction of heat label products such as
pharmaceuticals the higher the boiling products are required for the extraction of castor
oil, which is not freely miscible with hydrocarbons except the elevated temperatures.

Because of the potential fire and explosion hazard involved when the hydrocarbon
solvents are used for extraction, these has always been a great deal of interest in

Non flammable solvents Trichloroethylene, boiling at 1880F,is such a solvent .experience

has shown however that:
1. Although safe from a fire and explosion stand point, the toxicity of the
solvent requires that it be handled carefully.
2. Its relatively high costs are not counterbalanced by proportionately lower
solvent losses.
3. Corrosion is serious problem despite attempts at stabilization.
4. Oil produced must be exhaustively stripped of solvents, since small
amounts of residual solvents amounts will interfere with subsequent
hydrogenation of the oil unless special precautions are taken, thus skilled labor is
required.

TYPES OF EXTRACTOR
Batch extractor
Batch extractor varies greatly in design. Extractor popular in the castor oil industry
consists of a large horizontal drum (2.16m by 1.02m) mounted on rollers by means which
the drum can be rotated on its longitudinal axis. Inside the drum is a horizontal
perforated, metal strainer covered with a filter mat of burlap, which extends the length of
the drum and divides it into two compartments, one much smaller than the other. Large
compartment receives a charge of 10-12 tons of solid material through which solvent is
percolated to drain into the smaller compartment by gravity from which it is continuously
pumped during the drainage period. Four to six successive extractions suffice to reduce
the oil content of castor pomace from 15to 1.5%.

Percolation type extractor

In this type liquid solvent or Marcella is distributed over a bed the of flakes or cake,
where in percolates down through the its beds and exists the bed at the bottom through
some type of supported filtering device, such as perforated plate
A mesh screen or a wedge with screen bar system. The flaked castor seeds are converged
by a screw into a closed charging hopper at the top of the housing. And the completely
filled conveyer tube served with as an effective vapour seal against the solvent vapour
inside the extractor. In the earliest models large baskets were supported on endless chains
within against housing.
The baskets are continuously and vary slowly raised and lowered at the rate of about one
resolution per hour. As each basket starts down the descending side of the apparatus, a
charge of seed is automatically dropped into it from a charging hopper.
Extraction is affected by the percolation of solvent through the seed during their passage
from the bottom to the top of the apparatus. As the baskets containing the spent and
drained flakes ascends to the top of the housing on the opposite side from the charging
hoppers, from which they are conquered by means of the screw conveyors to the meal
dries.

Fresh solvent at the rate of approximately one found of solvent per pond of seeds is
sprayed into a basket near the top of the ascending line of baskets, from which it
percolates by gravity through the lower baskets in countercurrent flow. The miscella from
this side termed half miscella is collected in a pump in the lower part of the housing. A
pump continuously withdraws it from the pump and sprays it into the topmost basket of
the descending line. From this basket it percolates downwards through the lower baskets
like the fresh solvents introduced.

On the other side of the system and is collected in a separate sump as full miscella. The
full miscella is freed from the fine seed particles and solvent to yield the finished oil.
These early extractors are tall and bulky, susceptible to chain breakage and are difficult to
service quickly and safely. a modification of these early extractors is the square and
rectangular types where in addition to solvent or miscella draining vertically from one
basket to another it is pumped to individual in the horizontal sections with this
recirculation of miscella generally the efficiency is approved. The horizontal extractors
also permit one floor operation and are housed at minimum cost.

IMMERSION TYPE EXTRACTORS

Is an immersion extractor seeds are transported usually by the chain or screw scavenger,
through a pool of liquid (solvent) the hider brand is an example. It consists of two vertical
tubes interconnected at the bottom by the third horizontal tube with motor driven screws
to propel the flakes down one tube across, and up the other tube counter current to the
flow of solvent. Because of the working given the flakes by the screw flake integration
and fines production is relatively extensive, for this reason it is unsuitable for the direct
extraction of the castor seeds.

RECOVERY OF SOLVENTS

Recovery from miscella

Normally miscella from the solvent extraction is freed of finely divided solid material
because it is processed for oil recovery although it is possible to clarify the oil after the
solvent is removed, the presence of fines complicates the operation of the packed
distillation columns and this method also leads to excessive use of oil entrained in the
fines unless the later are well washed.. it is generally considered not advantageous to
recycle a larger a mount of separated fines through extraction equipment.

The amount of fines to be handled varies greatly with different types of extraction
system. Systems comprising of fatty oil and hexane or other hydrocarbon solvent exhibit
a considerable negative deviation. From the ideal i.e. the vapor pressure of the solvent is
lower than that calculated from its molar concentration in the micelle and the vapor
pressure of the pure solvent. Below a solvent the concentration of a bout 10% by weight
the boiling point becomes so high that steam stripping is essential to find the stages of
solvent recovery.
In recovery of solvents from miscella double effect and dual evaporation systems are
included. These two systems make use of the hot vapors from other parts of the oil meal
recovery equipment so as to obtain maximum efficiency from the steam used and to
reduce steam consumption to attraction of that previously required.
Unfortunately most existing solvent extraction plants were designed for low capital
investment at some sacrifice of operating courts. Dissolvent zing- toasting and meal
drying – cooling are the major steam users so attention should be concentrated here.
Opportunities are naturally great in new than in existing plants, but in any case a
thorough engineering review should worth while.

RECOVERY FROM EXTRACTED FLAKES

The standard equipment for dissolvent zing of the extracted flakes consists of a series of
horizontal steam jacketed tubes (schneckens) thorough which the flakes are projected by
screw. For the removal of the last traces of solvent or deodorization of flakes a similar
but a larger tube is provided through which the flakes pass countercurrent to a current of
stripping steam. With time this type of meal dissolventizing has been largely been
replaced by the dissolventizer-toaster similar to stack cookers in which both live and
indirect steam in injected to top and often also into the lower cutlets, where it evaporates
most of the hexane as it is in lower carry over to the condenser, and results in a
combination of the results in a combination of solvent removal and toasting from an
operating stand point this system is generally preferred to the schneckens originally
employed.

In some cases dissolventzing is accomplished by superheated solvent vapor. This and

‘flash’ dissolventing are of interest mainly where it is desired to a void toasting and to a
void toasting and to minimize denaturalization of the protein as for example, when
indentured or partially denatured flakes are required because of the protein specification.
When hydrocarbon solvents are used the separation of condensed solvent and condensed
stripping steam from the deodorized and from the miscella stripping column is facilitated
by the comparative immiscibility of the solvent, which is reused without further
treatment.
The extraction proper all solvent and miscella, tanks and the various solvent condensers
that are vented for a vent condenser or condensers that are protected by special means
from loss of solvents. In some plants, the vent condensers are refrigerated in others they
communicate with temperature through charcoal filled absorbers that are periodically
steamed for the recovery of solvent or through a packed column down which a small side
stream of oil is diverted as an absorbing agent.

Vapor from that deodorizer and water from the final meal cools may carry considerable
dust, link and so on, particularly if the is inclined to power. Scrubbers, cyclone separators
and similar devices of various designs are used to collect dust and avoid fouling of the
condensers and other portions of the solvent recovery system as well as the formation of
the emulsion in the solvent steam condensate separate.
AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT
Although auxiliary equipment naturally varies with any particular installation and with
the type of rows material processed a diagram of typical direct extraction and represses
systems for castor oil is shown below.

REFINING AND BLEACHING

Refining refers to any purifying treatment designed to remove free fatty acids, phosphate
or mucilaginous material or other gross impurities in the oil it excludes bleaching and
also ‘deodorization’. The term bleaching reserved for treatment designed surely to reduce
the color of the oil. Very little material is re moved from the oil by bleaching and
bleaching treatment is commonly applied to oils after purification has largely been
accomplished by the refining. Deodorization is the term used for treatment intended
primarily. For the removal of the traces of constituents that give rice to flavors and odors.
Deodorization usually flows refining and bleaching.

By far the most important and general practiced method of refining effects an almost
complete removal of free fatty acids, which are converted into oil insoluble soaps. Other
acid substances likewise combine alkalis, and there is some removal of impurities from
the oil by absorption of the soap formed with the operation moreover all substances that
become insoluble hydration are removed.

The alkali the most commonly employed for refining castor oils is caustic soda, which is
more effective in its decolorizing action than weaker alkalis. Caustic soda has the
disadvantage however of sampling a small proportion of betrayal oil in addition to
reaction with free fatty acids; for this reason other alkalis such as sodium carbonate, have
been tried but have not been accepted to any extent. Organic bases such as the
ethanolamine have also been proposed as refining agents because of their selective action
forward the free acids in the oil.
Certain oil impurities such as phosphatide proteins or protein fragments and gammy or
mucilaginous substances are soluble in the oil only in anhydrous form and can only be
accomplished by steaming the oil or mixing with water or a weak aqueous solution. It
may also occur when the oil is floored to the atmosphere.
Since free fatty acids are much volatile than glycerides, it is possible to remove them
from the castor oil by steam distillation at a high temperatures under reduced pressure so
called steam refining is similar to ordinary steam deodorization.
Liquid-liquid extraction, employing furfural or propane has been used to some extend but
is not generally economical or satisfactory from a quality standpoint.
The standard method of bleaching is by absorption or treatment of the castor oil with
bleaching earth or carbon.

EFFECTS OF REFINING AND OTHER PROCESSING OF SPECIFIC

IMPURITIES
Alkali refining of the castor oil with caustic soda readily reduces the free fatty acid
content to0.01- 0.03%. With the weakest such as sodium carbonate however it is difficult
to get the free fatty acids below about 0.10% steam refines with suitable equipment also
reduces the free acids to 0.01-0.03% bleaching with earths or carbon has little effect on
the acidity of the soil except in the case of certain acid activated earth’s these may
increase the acidity appreciable for example 0.05-0.10%particularly if the contact time is
prolonged and the oil is not well dried. free fatty acids can be completely removed from
castor oil by chromatographic absorption alumina or silica gel but a high absorbent acids
ratio is required (10-30;1) and the process is un economic.

Alkali refining and to a lesser extent decamping also brings about the removal of certain
amount of non phosphatide oil soluble material, including carbohydrates and related
substance or break material quite completely at high temperatures employed in steam and
insoluble material will be precipitated if phosphatide is present no visible separation of
solid presumably from the decomposition of associated carbohydrates if the phophatide
content is less than a bout 0.02% such effect is observed. Treatment of oil with bleaching
earth is separated gums ferment more rapidly a small quantity of oil is also included with
the gums and hence a slight loss over and above the amount of impurities separated.
Temperatures for degumming are highly critical although separation of the hydrated
gums occur more readily if the viscosity of the oil is reduced by operating at 29-390C.
The use of ammonia degumming is patent in castor oil. Ammonia hydroxide is a volatile
non saponifying alkali. Consequently it yields neutralized oil and also a lecithin
product .refining with ammonia eliminates acidulation of soap stock and avoids
decomposition of phophatides a source of chlorine inositol and so on, and the
phosphatides may be further purified or added back into the meal or into the feeds.
However unless a caustic soda wash is included the refined oil color will be darker than
that produced by the soda ash or caustic soda process.

PREPARATION OF LACOTHIN
Material from the degumming centrifuge is dried at low moisture content, preferably less
than 1% to improve preservability and fluidity horizontal film dryers or vertical thin film
dries are commonly used. Excessive temperatures and or contact times must be avoided if
a high quality light colored product is to be obtained. The dried product is cooled below
(500C) to present subsequent darkening. Lacothin may be stored for months at (20-30 0C)
without significant change in quality.
According to tentative specification of the national castor seed processor’s Association
the six commercial grades consists of plastic –consistency and fluid consistency products
each of which may be unbleached single-bleached or double bleached .bleaching is
usually accomplished with hydrogen peroxide which may be added either during the
degumming step with water used for hydration or in the bleaching kettle.

ACID REFINING
Strong mineral acids are rarely employed to degumming castor oil but sulphuric acid
requires special attention to avoid charring and sulphonication and is usually diluted for
use. Phosphoric acid is effective and much easier to handle and is often used preliminary to
alkali refining. Phosphates and organic acids have been used to a limited extent. In general
only phosphoric acid is used commercially and mainly used as a pretreatment before alkali
refining.
REMOVAL OF BREAK MATERIAL BY HEAT TREATMENT
Heat treatment is seldom if every employed alone for the removal of phosphatides of
“break material” for castor oil. However, the heat treatment incidental to the steam
refining process causes the precipitation of such material.

ALKALI REFINING
The technology of alkali refining is concerned with the proper choice of alkalis, amounts of
alkalis, and refining techniques, to produce the desired purification without excessive
saponification of neutral oil, and with methods for the efficient separation of refined oil and
soap stock.

REFINING WITH CAUSTIC SODA

Selection of lye: the selection of the proper amount and strength of lye for refining is
highly important in the case of castor oil when it is refined with caustic soda. The lye to
the used are simply determined on the basis of the free fatty quite effective in removing
phosphatides and the various macula ginous materials referred to as ‘gums’ “slimes” and so
on.

Metallic contaminants in the castor oil are presumably in the form of metal soaps. Refining
with caustic soda is effective in removing certain heavy metals; however, treatment of the
oil with adsorbents appears to be more certain method of removal. A common method of
removing metallic. Contaminants, which are particularly useful as an adjunct to the
deodorization process, is by means of so-called metal scavengers or compounds that are
capable of forming inactive complexes with iron or other heavy metals. The many popular
compounds that have been used in this country and abroad for many years are certain acids,
such as phosphoric acid and organic acids (e.g. citric and tartaric).

Alkali refining itself introduces sodium soaps as a contaminant in the castor oil. Thorough
washing of the refined castor oil for soap removal and treatment with bleaching adsorbents
and thorough drying of the oil during the bleaching operation to reduce soap solubility
eases the problem. The analysis of the oil for low concentration of residual soap is
somewhat uncertain but, it appears that in good practice the soap is reduce in bleaching to
about 5 – 10ppm.

REFINING LOSSES
Much technology of castor oil refining is concerned with the minimization of oil losses
rather than the thoroughness of purification. In ordinary alkali refining with caustic soda
there is always considerable amount of neutral oil saponified by the alkali or entrained in
the soap stock. This oil is recoverable only as a low-grade material and, therefore,
represents a direct monetary loss to the refines.

The amount of neutral oil lost in an alkali refining depends primarily on the amount and
kind of impurities in the castor oil.
Newer, continuous, alkali-refining processes have been designed to reduce the loss of
neutral oil in saponification as well as by entrainment in the soap stock. Neutral oils are
actually quite resistant toward reaction even with quite strong lye, and a small amount of
caustic soda solution mixed into a neutral oil with undergo substantially complete reaction
only after a somewhat prolonged period at an elevated temperature.

DESLIMING OR DEGUMMING
The terms ‘desliming’ and ‘degumming’ refer to refining treatment designed to remove
phosphatides and certain other ill-defined ‘slimes’ or ‘mucilaginous materials’ from the
castor oil but does not significantly reduce the acidity of the oil.

DEGUMMING BY HYDRATION
Degumming is always accomplished by hydrating the phosphatides and similar materials to
make them insoluble in the oil. Degumming should be complete before the oil is shipped
or placed in storage, in addition, a better lecithin is produced from fresh castor oil
degumming, is, therefore, usually carried out at the oil mill or extraction plant rather than at
the refinery. In all cases separation of the hydrated gums from the oil is accomplished with
continuous centrifuges similar to those used for the separation of soap stock in continuous
refining. Sometimes, in some extraction plants the gums are allowed to hydrate from steam
condensed in the last stage of steam stripping for removal of solvent from miscella while in
others, a small proportion of water (about 1%) is mixed continuously into the substantially
dry oil. The minimum quantity of water consistent with a free-flowing product in desired,
as any excess of water tends to make the acid content of the oil. In addition to differences
in the oil produced by different mills, as a result of variations in the characteristics of castor
oil according to their geographical origin and other variations according to climatic
conditions that occur from season to season.

In the choice of both lyes and refining methods the refiner is invariably guided by
preliminary refining tests conducted in the laboratory. Thus by refining samples of an oil
with different amounts and strength of lye, and with different firms of stirring and so on,
and noting the refining loss and colours of the oil obtained in each case, it is possible to
determine the optimum conditions for refining the oil in the plant.

Ordinarily the refiner uses lye containing a sufficient amount of sodium hydroxide to
produce the colour desired in the oil and uses the strength of lye that produce the lowest
refining loss with the desired colour. In general, the best results are obtained with
relatively weak lyes on low free fatty acid oil and with stronger lyes on high-acid oils, but
the exact lye is determined only by trial.

BATCH REFINING BY DRY METHOD

This method is termed ‘dry’ because the oil is treated with a relatively strong lye and the
soapstock or ‘foots’ are recovered in a solid or semisolid form from the cooled oil. It is
distinguished from the ‘wet’ method of refining in which the soapstock is washed to the
bottom of the refining kettle with considerable quantities of water and recovered in the
form of a fluid solution. Dry refining has the advantage of being rapid and convenient and
of producing a concentrated soapstock and refined oil relatively free of soap or moisture.
The equipment required for batch refining is simple, consisting of an open tank or kettle
equipped with an agitator steam coils for heating, and a conical bottom. The agitator
consists almost invariably of a central vertical shaft to which are attached a series of
horizontal paddle arms; the latter are placed in staggered positions down the shaft so that
they reach all the portions of the kettle charge and are inclined at a 45 0 angle, to give a
lifting action when they are in motion. Common agitator speeds are about 40 rpm for rapid
agitation and 8rpm for show agitation; the former must be sufficiently vigorous to bring
about intimate mixing and emulsification of the oil and lye, whereas the latter is designed
only to keep the contents of the kettle moving and to maintain particles of soaps in
suspension in the oil while they undergo melting and coalescence. The heating coil must
be designed to raise the temperature of the batch rapidly; usually, but not always, the cone
of the kettle is steam jacketed to assist in melting and discharging of the foots after refining
is completed.

The first stage of refining is carried out with the oil at atmospheric temperature. High
temperature is avoided, partly because lighter refined oil colours are obtained at relatively
low temperatures. For the refining of castor oil, where colour removal is particularly
important, an initial temperature of 22 – 240C is preferred and specified for the official
laboratory refining tests although no marked disadvantage appears to result from
temperature up to 300C. if the oil contains occluded air after it is pumped to the refining
kettle, it must be settled along enough for the air to rise to the surface and escape;
otherwise, the foots will entrain sufficient air to float and thus will not settle properly to the
bottom of the kettle.

After the charge of oil is at the proper temperature and free from air, the agitator is started
at high speed and the proper amount of lye is rapidly run in. The lye is usually distributed
fairly evenly over the surface of the oil, although an elaborate distribution or spraying
system is not necessary. Agitation is then continued until the alkali and oil are thoroughly
emulsified. With some castor oils the best results are obtained if the mixing period is
relatively short, for example, 10 – 15 minutes. At the end of the mixing period the agitator
is reduced to a low speed, sufficient only to keep the contents of the kettle stirred, and heat
is applied to bring the temperature of the charge up to 44 – 47 0C as rapidly as possible.
Under the influence of heat, the emulsion breaks and the soapstock separates from the clear
castor oil in the form of small flocculent particles which tend to coalesce as stirring is
continued. After the desired degree of ‘break’ is obtained, agitation is stopped heat is
turned off the kettle, and the soapstock, or foots, is allowed to settle to the bottom of the
kettle by gravity.

Thorough settling of the soapstock before the castor oil is drawn off is essential for low
refining loss. With a high refining loss or a tendency for much neutral oil to be occluded in
the soapstock, a settling time of about 10 – 12 hours is minimum, and the batch is usually
settled overnight. When the contents of the kettle are well settled, the refined castor oil is
drawn off the top through a swinging suction pipe, leaving the soap stock in the form of a
more or less coherent mass at the bottom. Usually two suction lines of different sizes are
provided, of which the larger is used to remove the bulk of the castor oil, and the small is
used for a final skimming operation. Removal of the last portions of the oil by judicious
use of the suction pipe and manipulating the foots with a pole or paddle requires
considerable skill on the part of the operator. If the amount of soap stock is large, a bottom
of the cone into an open soap stock – receiving tank under the kettle before skimming in
completed. In many plants the skimming are not mixed with the bulk of the refined oil but
are diverted to a separate tank or kettle where they are settled. The soap stock too, is often
heated and skimmed for oil recovery in the soap stock receiver. Dark-coloured oil is
obtained, however, and it must be refined.

Although dry refining produces relatively clean and clear oil, the refined castor oil contains
traces of moisture and soap that should be removed before the oil is put into storage. As a
cleaning-up procedure, a common practice is to filter the refined oil through spent
bleaching earth. The use of spent earth, already saturated with oil, avoids loss of oil
through retention on the earth. If the oil is bleached before it is stored, it is, of course,
dehydrated and freed of soap in the bleaching operation.

Batch refining by the wet method

In general, it involves heating the oil charge to a relatively high temperature, for example,
490C, mixing in the lye, and washing down the precipitated soapstock with a spray of hot
water directed onto the surface of the oil. In some cases salt, sodium carbonate, or another
electrolyte is added to assist in breaking the emulsion of soapstock and oil and to aid in
graining out and settling the soap stock. Several successive water washes are required to
complete the substantial removal of soap from oil. After each wash the oil must, of course,
be thoroughly settled.

The wet method is particularly advantageous for refining oils of a very high degree of
acidity. Refining equipment for the wet method is not essentially different from that
employed in refining by the dry method, except that in is quite common practice to use
closed kettles, which may also serve as vacuum bleachers for the refined and washed oil.

CONTINUOUS CAUSTIC REFINING

The continuous method has the double advantage of greatly reducing the time of contact
between the oil and alkali and of affecting a very efficient separation of foots and oil.
Consequently, it reduces to a minimum the loss of neutral oil through saponification or
occlusion in the soap stock and at the same time produces a refined oil of as good grade as
batch methods do.

In continuous refining gravity settling is replaced by a much stronger force caused by rapid
rotation of a centrifuge. The force is equal to mass M times acceleration A, and
acceleration is equal to the square of the angular velocity cu times the radius r. The
centrifuges are of two types – tabular bowl and disc bowl. In the tabular bowl type, a high
rotation speed develops centrifugal forces of the order of 13000 times gravity, but
capacities are relatively low, and without any automatic removal system only small
concentrations of solid can be handled. Also, in these open centrifuges, the heavy phase
outlet diameter is varied by means of discharge ring dams located at the top of the bowl. A
temporary shutdown and partial dismantling is required for a change of discharge rings.
The centrifuge can be used for either degumming or refining. In either case, the product
enters the bowl at the bottom of a hollow driven spindle with a sealing device. The flow
moves upward through the rotating spindle into the separator bowl. The light oil, the heavy
immiscible liquid, and any solids are separated, with both the light and the heavy phases
discharging under operating pressure at the top of the bowl through mechanical seals. The
solid, such as meal fries, are accumulated on the inside of the bowl in the sludge space and
are discharged intermittently through a series of slots in the bowl wall. When it is
necessary to discharge, the sliding bowl bottom is forced downward by the liquid hydraulic
pressure, the discharge slots are exposed, and the accumulated solids or sludge are
discharge quickly.

The operating water, which control the opening and closing of the sliding bowl bottom, is
supplied from an outside separate water source to a pressure reducing value. By regulating
the water supply pressure, the size of the shot or discharge and time interval are controlled
at the desired range. As a result of the tremendous hydraulic force exerted downward by
the liquid is the bowl, these discharges rapidly when the bowl is open. This operation of
opening, cleaning and closing takes only 3 – 4 seconds, according to the reports from the
manufacturer. In the meantime, the centrifuges are still operating at normal speeds.

The neutral zone diameter, i.e. the zone between the two phases, depends primarily on the
gravity difference between the two phases and the diameter of the heavy phase outlet. The
change of this zone is easily accomplished by varying the pressure on a control value in the
oil outlet. An increase in the backward pressure on the outgoing oil moves the zone
upward toward the periphery of the bowl and will give a cleaner oil phase. It will contain a
lower content of soap or gums. This adjustment in pressure can be made while the
separator is operating. By tracking the differential the differential pressure between the
inlet and oil discharge pressure, the bowl can be self-monitoring, discharging the
accumulated sludge as a required to maintain operating efficiency.

In addition to the common hollow-bowl and disc-bowl separators, a new type of centrifugal
separator has been successfully used in degumming, refining and water washing. It
consists essentially of a horizontally – positioned rotor, mounted on a shaft with heavy-
duty ball bearings, force-feed lubricated. The machine is constructed of stainless steel with
heavy welded steel base and rotor cover. Inside the rotor are many contacting elements
that provide for intimate mixing, coupled with low liquid velocity and controlled settling
rates. The main contacting elements are claimed to provide several times as much
coalescing surface per unit volume processed as do conventional machines. The heavy and
light liquids are kept separate by pressure – balanced mechanical seals, two on each side of
the rotor. Design factors reportedly allow retention of the advantageous characteristics of
centrifugal contactors: a high ratio of holding time with low flow rate, a high ratio of travel
time to settling time, and effective operation with relatively low gravities by machines of
any practicable size.

The operation of the machine when use as a countercurrent liquid contactor: the light liquid
enters through the shaft and is directed to the outer periphery of the roller. The heavy
liquid entering through the shaft at the opposite end directed to the centre of the rotor.
Centrifugal force moves the heavy liquid outward and displaces the light liquid towards the
centre of the rollers. The contacting elements are so designed that passage through the
orifices provides multistage mixing and separation. When a semisolid, such as soap stock,
is processed, the coalesces on the inner surfaces of the contacting elements, as it increases
in amount it moves to the outer periphery of the rotor where it is deposited on the V-shaped
annulus, which directs it to the spill-over of the rotor. Form there it moves to the shaft and
is discharged through a seal-shaft annuls.

The light liquid moves through the contacting elements towards the shaft and is discharged.
A back-pressure regulator automatically maintains a pressure control on the light liquid
attempting to have the effects of thus pressure is to control the position of the interface,
separating the light and heavy liquid, i.e. oil and soapstock in the rotor. The position of the
interface can be varied at will while the machine is operating. It is claimed that one unit
can handle degumming separations, simultaneous re-refining and water washing, or
simultaneous refining and water washing of degummed oil. It also finds use in the
acidulation of soap stock.

THE REFINING PROCESS

A schematic view of a continuous refining system is shown below. In general, the process
consists of continuously mixing crude oil with a dilute caustic soda solution and then
heating to obtain a ‘break’ in the emulsion. Continuous centrifuges then separate the
soapstock from the refined oil, which is now mixed with hot water (“water washing”) and
again centrifuged. In this way oil is separated from the water phase. The water-washed
refined oil, containing traces of moisture, is sent to avacuum dryes and finally to storage.

Crude oil is commonly stored in a large feed tank holding about a day’s run to obtain
smooth continuous operation. When operating conditions are determined and perhaps
modified after a short time, the remainder of the feed is processed essential without change.
Oil and caustic are accurately proportioned as for example, using controllers for a smooth
non-pulsating flow of product to the mixers. Commonly, 3 – 4 horizontal compartmented
mixers or vertical disc and doughnut mixers are connected in series, with provisions for
bypassing one or more depending on the oil being processed, thus assuring flexibility, since
oils vary in their mixing requirements.

The oil-caustic mixture must now be heated to assist in getting ‘break’. Close temperature
control is essential the hot mix goes to a primary centrifuge that separates the refined oil
from the soapstock. At this point the oil will carry a small amount of impurities that may
be observed through a sight glass or by using a turbidity instrument. The refined oil is next
heated to 54 – 590C and mixed with about 10 – 20% of water at 62 – 650C. The mixed used
will varies according to the refiner’s choice, but intimate mixing is essential. Water –
washing centrifuges separate the oil as a light phase and the water – soap solution along
with insoluble as the heavy phase. Single or double water washing may be used. One
wash will ordinarily remove 90% of the soap.
Water for water washing should be softened and free of copper and iron. The washed oil is
dried in a continuous vacuum dryer (27 – 28 in Hg). A common type comprises for
discharging oil into the evacuated unit. Oil leaving the dryer will normally contain less
than 0.1% moisture, frequently 0.05% soap, as sodium oleate, should not exceed 50ppm.

MISCELLA REFINING
A unique development is the refining of crude oil at solvent extraction plants before the
solvent is removed, while the oil is still in the miscella form. In this procedure miscella,
instead of crude oil, is intimately mixed with caustic soda solution to neutralize the free
fatty acids, coagulate the phosphatides, and remove the bulb of the colouring matter. A
high speed centrifuge separates the refined miscella from the soap stock. Some of the
advantages of miscella refining are: (a) reduced refining loss (b) lighter – coloured refined
oil, and (c) elimination of the water – washing step.
Miscella refining is not without its disadvantages, however. These include:
1. All equipment must be totally enclosed and explosion – proof. This increases
investment considerably.
2. Equipment must be carefully maintained and operated to avoid excessive solvent
loss.
3. Refining must be carried out at the solvent mills to be effective and economical, and
these mills must have a ready market for the refined oil that they produce.
4. There are difficulties in obtaining efficient contact between the caustic soda
solution and the miscella full coagulation of the phosphatides and satisfactory
decolourisation do not occur in the course of ordinary mixing.
5. Neutralization and decolourisation appear to be most effective when the
concentration of the miscella is about 50% oil. Thus removal of solvent from miscella
must take place in two stages, a preliminary concentration to about 50% oil, followed by
refining, and a final removal of solvent.

OTHER ALKALI REFINING METHODS

1. In the Laval short-mix process, there is relatively high acidity of many oils made in
necessary to avoid the long contact time and the large excess of caustic used in the straight
caustic process, oil in heated to 70 – 900C prior to the addition of caustic soda, causing an
immediate ‘break’ between the oil and the soap stock, thus reducing emulsification losses.
Likewise, saponification losses are reduced by the short contact time (about 30 seconds)
between the oil and the caustic. In normal practice solvent extracted oil is degummed
before refining, a pretreatment with phosphoric acid is used to remove so-called
“nonhydratable phosphatides” that are resistant to water degumming. This permits refining
with smaller excesses of caustic than normally used in the straight caustic process. With
castor oil, a second caustic treat may be used, but losses are relatively small since the bulk
of the soap stock has removed. By the phosphoric acid treatment, the natural calcium and
magnesium content of oils tends to be precipitated as insoluble phosphates of high density.
Here a self-cleaning centrifuge that can discharge solids intermittently is advantageous.
2. In the ultra-short-mix process.
 Caustic soda is introduced directly into the hollow spindle of the centrifuge where a
special mixing device is located. The very short contact time permits use of
stronger caustic without excessive saponification.

3. Zenith process
Involves a pretreatment with phosphoric acid, followed by sludge removal if
necessary, the oil is neutralized as if rises as droplets through a column of caustic.
Weak alkali is used, thus keeping the soap in solution and greatly reducing
emulsion formation and saponification of neutral oil water washing of the
neutralized oil is unnecessary low losses are claimed.
4. In the sodium carbonate process since carbonate does not attack neutral glycerides,
refining losses should be improved if free fatty acids are first neutralized by carbonate and
then a light caustic treat used for colour, thus reducing saponification. Several variations
have evolved, designed to correct rather serious problem such as the liberation of carbon
dioxide, causing frothing, and making soap stock separation difficult.

REREFINING
The dark-coloured crude oil obtained from damaged castor seeds can be converted to a
reasonably light colour more satisfactorily by means of a double refining than by
employing an excessive amount of lye in a single refining. Off-grade castor oils are
usually refined first with a normal lye containing 0.60 – 0.80% excess sodium hydroxide
and, before bleaching, are re refined with a smaller percentage of lye that is usually
stronger than that employed originally. For some reason, a better reduction in colour is
obtained in many cases if the oil is stored for sometime before re refined immediately.

Refiners differ in their preferred method for re refining, using a variety of alkalis. In batch
refining, re refining is practiced before the water washing stage. Likewise, in continuous
refining an additional re refining stage is normally introduced between the neutralizing and
water – washing stage.

DETERMINATION OF REFINING LOSS

Because of the economical importance of refining loss, processors have always tried to
measure their loss as frequently as feasible, with varying success. Weighing crude oil in
and refined oil out is an obvious choice. It is best when large volumes of the same oil are
handled on a daily basis with no change in processing. In the total fat method the soap
stock is analyzed for free fatty acid and neutral oil if the non-glyceride components of the
original crude are known, one can calculate whether any additional loss of oil in soap stock,
over theory, is occurring, as could result from saponification of neutral oil.

A later development was the sodium balance method. This is based on the premise that all
sodium in the feed appears as sodium in the soap stock and in the refined oil. By analyzing
these three components, the percent refining loss can be calculated from the formula!.

% RL = % treat (% Nar - %Nas) – 100% (%Nao)

% Nas - % Nao
Where RL is the refining loss, % treat is the percent reagent used per weight of crude oil, %
Nar is the percent sodium in reagent, % Nas is the percent sodium in soap stock, and %
Nao is the percent sodium in refined oil. This method is rapid and is reliable as the
methods described earlier.

Electronic efficiency systems represent the latest method for determining refining loss.
These systems are based on a simultaneous volumetric comparison of an inflow-outflow
meter by means of positive displacement meters. Compensation is made for temperature
and moisture. Refining loss is displayed continuously as percent loss or gain. It can also
be recorded permanently. A major advantage of these continuous reading systems is that
the attention of the plant personnel is focused on refining loss and the effect of processing
changes becomes immediately apparent.

STEAM REFINING
Conventional oil refining usually involves the basic steps of free fatty acid removal,
bleaching for reduction in pigment, and final steam deodorization to produce a brand,
finished oil. Although caustic soda is very satisfactory for de acidification, with certain
high free fatty acid crude oils there is excessive loss of neutral oil by this treatment. Steam
distillation on the other hand, removes essentially only the free fatty acid, thus appreciably
lowering overall refining loss. To be successful, steam refining must be practiced on castor
oil with very low phosphatides or from which phosphatides have been removed.

TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL OF SOAPSTOCK

The soapstock from alkali refining is a source of valuable fatty acids, but it also poses a
disposal problem. With the greatly increased use of detergents over soaps, there is little use
for soap stock as is normally; it is acidulated to produce free fatty acids. These are used as
a high – energy ingredient in feeds or for chemical uses.

The value of soap stock is determined by its total (combined and free) fatty acids content,
and this varies considerably according to the method of refining. Soap stock from batch
refining seldom falls below 40% in total fatty acids and often runs as high as 50%. The
product from continuous caustic soda refining is usually between 35 to 40% in total fatty
acids. Soap stock is almost always shipped from the refinery either in a raw form as it
comes from the refining equipment or in the concentrated form known as ‘acidulated’ soap
stock. Raw soap stock contains sufficient water to ferment readily.

The composition of acidulated soap stock depends on the proportion of unsaponified oil
and free caustic in the new raw material. Usually there is sufficient free alkali to saponify
most of the neutral oil present so that the fatty acids are largely converted to the free form
on acidification. The free fatty acids content of an acidulated soap stock containing 95%
total acids is seldom below 80% and is often 85 – 90% more. If care is taken to have an
excess of alkali and the charge is well boiled before the acid is added, virtually all the fatty
acids may be liberated. To ensure high total fatty acids content in acidulated soap stock,
many processors pretreat the raw soap stock with more alkali, so as to saponify any
remaining neutral oil, before going to the acidulation step.

In a simple batch system, soap stock is pumped from the refining area into large wooden,
plastic, or lead-lined vats, where it is diluted with water and then contacted with sulphuric
acid until the mixture contains free acid. It is then boiled with steam until the emulsion is
broken and the soap split. On allowing to settle, the oily material rises to the top and the
acid water (containing free sulphuric acid, sodium sulphate, and water-soluble impurities)
forms a lower layer. This aqueous layer is drawn off and the oily layer boiled with fresh
water to wash out residual sulphuric acid and other water-soluble matter. Further treatment
of the aqueous washings is usually necessary to neutralize the mineral acid and to cornply
with existing environmental standards.

Continuous acidulation is an obvious improvement if the volume considerations make it

economical.
BLEACHING
Bleaching by adsorption
Adsorbents: the most important adsorbent used in bleaching of castor oil is bleaching earth
or clay. Natural bleaching earth, otherwise known as fuller’s earth from its ancient used in
the ‘fulling’ or the scouring of wool, comprises various earths or clays consisting basically
of a hydrated aluminum silicate. The natural bleaching earths have been supplanted to a
considerable degree of acid activated clays. The raw material used for manufacture of this
type of bleaching clay consist for the most part of bentonites or montmorillonite, which
have little or no decolorizing power in the raw state. By treatment with sulphuric or
hydrochloric acid, however, the surface of the clay is so altered that its bleaching power
will in most cases considerably exceed that of natural clays. This treatment undoubtedly
extends the surface of the clay and probably also causes important changes in its chemical
or physiochemical nature. Acid activated clays retain more oil per unit weight of clay than
do natural earths, but their use generally leads to a lower overall loss of oil because they are
more active.

Besides bleaching clay, the only adsorbent used to any extent on fatty oils is activated
carbon. Because of its relatively high cost and its very high oil retention, carbon is rarely
used alone on castor oil, but oil refiners frequently employ it in admixture with bleaching
clay, in a ratio about 10 – 20 parts by weight of clay to 1 part of carbon. Carbon is also a
superior adsorbent for traces of soap is refined castor oil. Unlike bleaching earths, carbon
imparts no foreign flavor or odour to the oil treated.

In bleaching of castor oil, the cost of the adsorbent is exceeded by that of the oil lost by
retention in the spent adsorption. The oil is difficult to recover and after recovery, is
usually badly oxidized and of poor quality; hence many refineries discard their spent earth
without treatment. The retentiveness of an adsorbent is to some degree proportional to its
activity since both properties are related to the nature and the extent of the adsorbing
surface. The less active fuller’s earths may retain up to 30% of their own weight of oil, but
acid-activated earths usually have retention of up to 70%.

Because of its very porous nature, carbon retains much greater amounts of oil than any of
the days, and the addition of even 5 or 10% of carbon to bleaching clay will materially
increase the oil retention of the latter. The choice of an adsorbent depends in most cases on
striking a balance among the three factors of cost, activity and oil retention. The amount of
adsorbent required for any given bleaching operation will greatly vary with the activity and
the nature of the adsorbent, the variety of the oil the colour of the unbleached oil, and the
colour desired in the bleached oil.

Theory of adsorption bleaching

Bleaching of castor oil by adsorption involves the removal of pigments that are either
dissolved in the oil or present in the form of colloidal dispersed particles. From the
standpoint of adsorption theory, it is immaterial whether the pigments are dissolved or
merely dispersed.
The mechanics of adsorption are somewhat controversial opinions differ as to the extend to
which adsorption is a physical and/or a chemical phenomenon. The bond of attraction
between adsorbent and color body is relatively weak as evidenced by the fact that the
coloring matter can be readily removed from earth used in laboratory bleaching by
extraction with acetone, isopropyl alcohol, or benzene at room temperature. Further, the
extracted clay can be used again to bleach more castor oil with virtually the same
adsorptive capacity it has originally. These observations would indicate that the adsorption
mechanism is probably physical.

In the event, it sufficient to recall that adsorption is a surface phenomenon, depending on a

specific gravity affinity between the solute and the adsorbent. The mathematical
expression relating adsorption to residual solute concentrations at a single temperature is

X = KCn
M

Where x is the amount of substance adsorbed, M is the amount of adsorbent, C is the

amount of residual substance, and K and n are constants. The equation may also be written
in the form

Log x = log k + n log c

M

This a plot of x/m versus c on a log – log scale will produce an adsorption isotherm that is a
straight line with a slop equal to n, and x/m will be equal to K when c equals 1. This
equation is valid for any method of colour measurement as long as the units of
measurements are additive and proportional to the actual concentration of colouring
materials in the castor oil. Ordinarily, the unit weight of adsorbent (the quantity m) is
taken as 1 part per 100 parts of oil. With the concentration of adsorbent so expressed, the
adsorption isotherm and the values of K and n are independent of the units used for
measuring colour or pigment concentration.

The value of n determines the range of decolourization within which the adsorbent exhibits
its greatest relative effect. If n is high, the adsorbent will be relatively effective in
removing the first portions of colour from the castor oil but relatively insufficient as an
agent for effecting a very high degree of decolourization. If n is low, the reverse is true.

Besides decolorizing, treatment of an alkali – refined oil with bleaching earth serves the
important function of largely removing traces of soap. The efficiency of soap removal
during bleaching appears to depend on the thoroughness with which the castor oil and the
earth are dehydrated during the operation, as the oil retains soap tenaciously only in the
presence of dissolved moisture. For this reason, low soap content is favoured by vacuum
bleaching and, particularly, by continuous vacuum bleaching where moisture removal is
facilitated by the spraying of the castor oil and clay slurry into an evaluated chamber.
The presence of some moisture seems to be essential for effective bleaching action. All
bleaching earths contain a substantial amount of bound moisture that is released only at
somewhat elevated temperatures. Bleaching earths have been completely dehydrated by
heating to a high temperature are inactive. In general, there is no highly critical
temperature for optimum bleaching results, and in most plants bleaching is carried out
uniformly at a temperature in the neighborhood of 630 – 750C. Some activated earths,
however, yield slightly better results at a lower temperature; hence if the operation is
carried out under vacuum, so that dehydration of the oil and earth constitutes no problem,
temperatures as low as 59 – 610C are recommended.

Bleaching adsorbents equilibrate with the pigments in castor oil quite rapidly with
reasonably efficient stirring of the slurry; for all practical purposes, a constant time of 10
– 15 minutes. Pigments are adsorbed irreversibly; they are not removed to any large
extent even when the spent adsorbent is extracted with a non polar solvent; such as
acetone. In commercial operator the spent adsorbent in the form of a cake in the filter
press is usually blown for a prolonged period with air and steam to recover as much as
possible of entrained oil. The recovered oil or ‘press steaming’ is a dark-colored partially
oxidized product that cannot be incorporated in the bleached oil but must be re refined.
Finally, bleaching reduces metal content, this helps flavor stability at the same time by
reducing the load on any metal chelating agents used.

BATCH BLEACHING
This method involves the use of open cylindrical cone-bottom kettles with mechanical
agitators and steam heating coils. Such kettles are preferably not larger than about
273.60kg in capacity, as it is desirable to complete the separation of earth from the castor
oil reasonably soon after the earth is added. The agitator is designed to maintain the earth
in suspension and provide sufficient stirring without splashing or aeration at the surface.
Heating should be rapid and the total period should never exceed about 1 hour.

Most operators add the bleaching earth or mixture of earth and carbon to the kettle in the
desired amount somewhat before the top bleaching temperature of about 63 – 750C is
reached, for example at 52 – 590C. Often the earth is mixed in concentrated slurry with a
portion of the castor oil in a separate small tank that is placed in a dust proof room or
provided with dust-collecting equipment. After heating is completed, agitation is
continued for 15 – 20 minutes and pumping of the oil through the filter press is started.
The first oil through the press is returned to the kettle for clarification and to build up a
press cake and attain maximum “press bleaching effect.” After a minimum colour is
achieved in re recirculation oil, the latter is diverted to bleached oil holding or storage
tanks.

The cake of spent earth in the filter press is blown with air and steam to recover as much
as possible of the entrained oil. Blowing practices vary in different plants. A common
procedure is to blow lightly with air for a few minutes until most of the free oil in the
press chambers is displaced and then blow with dry steam for 30 – 45 minutes at about 15
– 45lb of pressure. It is preferable to use presses that have a discharge into a closed line
to avoid blowing fog oil castor oil particles into a press room. The blow lines goes into a
small closed tank vented to the outside atmosphere; from this tank condensed water is
drawn off and the recovered castor oil is pumped back to the refining plant for
reprocessing. Because of the greater protection afforded the oil against oxidation, batch
bleaching is usually conducted under vacuum in the more modern plants. A common
vacuum – bleaching vessel has a capacity of about 30,000 – 40,000lb. It is cylindrical in
form, with dished bottom and cover, equipped with a motor-driven agitator and heating
and cooling coils. The agitator, unlike that for open kettles, should be designed to roll the
charge and constantly bring fresh material to the surface to assist in de aeration.

Operator of the batch vacuum bleacher does not differ greatly from that of the open
bleaching kettle. The bleaching earth should be as free from occluded air as possible.
Thus moving earth by compressed air or vacuum and suction followed by air should be
avoided. Oil should also be de aerated before the earth is added. Some operators add the
adsorbent at the beginning of the heating period; others prefer to have the oil at bleaching
temperature (usually 63 – 750C) before it is added by dehydration of the charge is thereby
facilitated. The earth may be pulled from a hopper into a vessel by vacuum through a 3-
to 4- in line, as it will flow almost like a liquid. After the usual 15-20 minutes period of
agitation, the batch is cooled to 52 – 590C and filtered as described earlier. Alternatively,
the castor oil to be filtered is pumped to an enclosed filter such as the “Funda” type. This
is a tall cylindrical vessel containing a vertical shaft carrying a number of hollow
horizontal plates. The oil goes through the wire cloth on the plate surface and flows
through the interior of the plate and shaft to a receiving tank. When bleaching earth has
accumulated on the surface of the cloth until the gap between the plates has been filled,
the central shaft is then rotated mechanically, spinning off the filter cake, which can be
removed by a small screw conveyed in the bottom of the vessel. Considerable labor
savings are thus possible.

CONTINUOUS BLEACHING
Continuous vacuum bleaching protects the oil from the harmful effects of oxidation even
more effectively than does batch vacuum bleaching since the de aerations is affected by
spraying the oil into vacuum than can ordinarily be obtained by agitating a large batch
under vacuum. Also, the castor oil and the earth are more completely de aerated, and the
contact time between the two is reduced, thus reducing the soap content of the bleached
oil, minimizing free fatty acid development when acid earths are used, and producing oil
of improved flavour stability. Economy in earth usage and oil retention is achieved by
oxidation and, in one process by filtering the feed oil through partially spent earth to
achieve two-stage countercurrent operation. By affecting heat exchange between the feed
and the bleached oil, some saving of heat is possible.

From the continuous vacuum-bleaching process shown below, the feed castor oil from
storage is mixed continuously with adsorbent in metered amounts and the resulting slurry
is sprayed into the top section of an evacuated tower to flash off dissolved air and free
moisture. It is then withdrawn from the tower, heated to bleaching temperature, and re-
sprayed into a second bottom section of the tower to remove bound moisture that is
released from the earth only after it is heated. A small amount of stripping steam in each
section provides agitation and assists in the removal of moisture and air. From the second
section the oil-clay mixture is pumped through closed filter presses to remove the clay
and hence through a cooler to storage. Recovery of oil spent from bleaching earth.

As a result of present-day restrictions by environmental control laws, disposal of wet clay

has discouraged user of the water-phase method. Solvent extraction is an obvious method
for recovering oil efficiently from earth spent. With enclosed filters hexane solvent can
extract oil from the earth in several steps before recovery of the oil by evaporation of the
miscella. The spent cake should be extracted promptly to avoid oxidation and darkening
of the recovered oil. If this is done the recovered oil is almost equal in quality of the bulk
of the bleached stock. On the hand, considerable capital investment is required and safety
requirements are increased. The process is economical only where large volumes of spent
earth need to be processed.

Clays containing unsaturated oil will rapidly oxidize to the point of causing spontaneous
combustion, creating an odor problem as well as a fire hazard if not properly blanketed
for air exclusion.
CHEMICAL BLEACHING
In earth bleaching, pigments are removed from oil. In chemical bleaching the pigments
are allowed to remain but are oxidized to a colorless or less-colored form. Along with the
effect on pigments, it must be remembered that when an oxidizing agent is added to
castor oil, anything that can oxidize under the conditions used will oxidize regardless of
what one wishes to happen.

If for example, the castor oil contains an appreciable amount of settlings or solid material,
these are first removed by boiling the charge with a 10% salt solution and wet steam and
allowing it to settle. Bleaching in conducted in a lead- lined tank, equipped with
perforated coils for the injection of both steam and air. The charge consists of 1 tonne of
oil. The oil brought to a temperature of 1100F, and 40lb of fine dry salt are sprinkled into
the tank. This is followed by addition of 40lb of concentrated commercial hydrochloric
acid and 17lb of sodium dichromate dissolved in 45lb of the same acid. The latter
solution is added slowly over a period of about 3 hours; the charge is agitated with air
during the addition of the dichromate solution and for 1 hour thereafter. At the end of this
time agitation is stopped and the aqueous phase is allowed to settle to the bottom of the
tank, from which it is drawn off. Water is then added, and the charge is agitated and
heated with open steam to 49 – 520C, after which the operation is completed by allowing
the contents of the tank to settle overnight.

DEODORIZATION
Basically, the deodorization process involves steam distillation under vacuum. Its
purpose is to remove, so far as possible, residual free fatty acids, aldehydes and ketones
which are responsible for unacceptable oil odours and flavours and, more recently, to
decolourize the castor oil by heat decomposition of the pigments and distillation of the
decomposition products. The effectiveness of the process depends on a combination of
the intimacy of mixing of steam and castor oil, and the vacuum and temperature
employed. It is a process very much concerned with efficiency – for instance, energy
saving by heat exchange, reduction of steam usage, both for stripping and vacuum,
baffling to prevent the loss of neutral oil entrained in distillate vapour and fatty material
in vacuum condenser water, and loss of product due to saponification of triglycerides, for
these reasons there are many variations in the deodorizer scheme, but in general infected
steam in 4% or less of castor oil weight and vacuums are usually between land 6mm Hg
absolute.

When heated, the fatty acid chains of triglycerides condense, polymerize and form ring
structures producing carcinogenic compounds to a degree dependent upon the degree of
unsaturation in the starting oil. Although no evidence of significant quantities of such
compounds resulting from castor oil deodorization on physical refining has been found,
the tendency in refining has been to minimize time spent at the highest temperature of the
process and to restrict this temperature to about 2500C which is the temperature at the
carotenoid pigments can be decomposed and removed from the oil.

Deodorizers are constructed in batch, semi-continuous and fully continuous forms. The
batch vessel is not as efficient as the other two forms but is useful for quantities of 12
tonnes or less; batch deodorization of castor oil has the further advantage of reducing the
risk of contaminating them, and important factor in view of their specialized, long shelf-
life usage. The efficiency of steam and castor oil contact in the batch vessel can be
improved by the inclusion of a vomit tube and umbrella. In the batch system, the castor
oil is held at deodorization temperature for 5-10hours.

The stripping efficiency of the batch deodorizer is low because of the head of oil above
the open steam distributor. This depth of oil is usually about 2-2.5m for a 12 tonnes
charge. In the semi-and fully- continuous units the depth is reduced to between 0.5m and
1.5m depending on the type of plant. Thus the dispersion of steam in castor oil and
consequently stripping efficiency are improved. A further problem with the batch
deodorizer is that and is often sucked into the vessel via bottom connections, with
disastrous effects or the castor oil quality.
In semi-continuous deodorizer successive batches of 1-3tonnes in weight, depending
upon plant capacity, are measured volumetrically in the measuring tank and drawn by
plant vacuum into the first tray of the deodorizer. In this tray the castor oil is heated by in
direct heat exchange from the hot oil in the first cooling tray using the thermo-siphoning
of water as the heat exchange method. The individual castor oil batches are heated with
thermo or another medium to operating temperature (about 2500C) in tray 2 with open
steam injection to aid heat transfer. In tray 3 the bulk of the total of 4% open steam is
injected’ for deodorization and to cooling to 60-650C is effected in the final two trays
before the castor oil is dropped into the bottom of the vessel for pumping to storage. To
reduce the rate of oxidation in post-deodorization storage, it is normal practice to inject
0.02% of citric acid as a 10 – 15% solution in water into the oil at about 120 0C during the
cooling stage. The acid is a chelating agent which prevents traces of iron and copper from
acting as autoxidation catalysts.

POLISHING
Deodorization and physical refining plant by nature of the temperatures used, build up
carbon deposits. Pretreated oil storage tanks inevitably become contaminated of traces of
bleaching earth. Some of the citric acid used during the cooling of the castor oil after
deodorization does not dissolve in the oil. For these reasons a polishing filter is installed
between the deodorizer and the castor oil storage. The filter medium should be capable
of retaining 30μm particles for normal use and 10μm bottled castor oil. It should be
cheap to replace or easy to clean, simple to assemble correctly and the filter body should
have a low oil volume so as to reduce the risk of contamination.
COOLING
When steam is used in the deodorizers, to assist heat exchange, it is not possible to cool
the castor oil below 600C without the oil becoming wet from condensing steam. This is
too hot to store castor oil with significant (over 5%) content of polyunsaturated fatty
acids, because of the sharp increase in oxidation rate at higher temperatures. It is good
practice therefore to install a heat exchanger after the polishing to reduce the oil
temperature to about 300C for castor oil at room temperature.

HYDROGENATION
This process consists of dispersing hydrogen in the castor oil in the presence of a catalyst.
Dry oil dosed up with up to 0.2% Ni/ oil catalyst may be of the stabilized, i.e. non-
pyrophic type if wished, or another dry reduced catalyst made up in an acceptable
hardened fat. A pressure of 5 atmospheres should be satisfactory; a rather higher
pressure may reduce hardening times, but not greatly. A hardening temperature of 1100C
is a safeguard against loss of hydroxyl value and decreased melting point.

It is very helpful if the non-return value on the hydrogen line immediately adjacent to the
autoclave is 50 weighed (or otherwise controlled) that it closes firmly as soon as the
pressure in the line ceases to be at least 0.3 atmospheres greater than the pressure in the
autoclave. These safeguards against pressure fluctuations in the hydrogen distribution
system allowing the gradual seepage back from the autoclave of 86 0C m.p.fat. After the
autoclave temperature of filter lines, pumps and filter presses must be maintained
comfortably above the melting point of the hardened castor oil.

The usual aim of castor oil hydrogenation is to obtain a high-melting saturated fat with
almost undiminished content of hydroxyl group so that the special physical advantages of
this combination can be employed in varied products.

CHARACTERISITCS AND PROPERTIES OF CASTOR OIL

Castor oil differs from most of the vegetable oils by;
1. Having higher viscosity, specific gravity and hydroxyl value and greater solubility in
alcohol.
2. It is more soluble in glacial acetic acid at ordinary temperature but wilt larger
volumes of such liquids it forms a two phase system.
However, the differences between castor oil and other oils are attributable mainly to the
hydroxyl group of the ricinoleic a cod which is the principal acid in the glycerides of
castor oil.
Some of the characteristics of castor oil are;
1. The viscosity at 200C of several samples of castor oil vary in the range of 935 to
1033 centipoises.
A sample with an iodine value of 86 and viscosity at 200C of 1000 centipoises has the
following values at other temperatures 300 G, 453 centipoises, 400C, 232 centipoises,
500C, 128 centipoises.
These values appear to be consistent wilt those of oil yielded values form 297 to 349
centipoises at 350C.
2. Specific heat of castor oil has been measured at temperatures up to about 2750C.
Density was found to vary linearly from 0.972 at 00C to 0.870 at 1540C.
3. Refractive index ranges between 1.473 – 1.477.
Castor oil is dextrorotatory due to asymmetric carbon atom, in ricinoleic acid. Castor oil
mixes in many proportions with absolute alcohol and will dissolve in about two volumes
of 90 percent alcohol at 150C. On the other hand, it is so nearly insoluble in excess
petroleum either that as little 0.5 percent causes turbidity in the solvent at 150C. Several
tests for adulteration of castor oil have been developed on the basis of solubility
relationships.
COMPOSITION OF CASTOR OIL
Castor oil consists almost entirely of triglycerides, the proportion of minor constituents
being small. Oil extracted with alcohol contains phospholipide amounting to about 0.5
percent of the oil. This settles out of the oil upon standing. Castor oil as ordinarily
prepared and marketed contains little or no phosphalide. Unsaponifiable material usually
amount between 0.3 and 0.7 percent of the weight of the oil, a typical value being 0.4
percent. Tocopherol amount to 0.05 percent of the oil. Reports have shown that
tocopherol is concentrated in the germ oil which contains as much as 0.9 percent.

Fatty acids of castor oil have long been known to include a large proportion of ricinoleic
acid and a small proportion of a dihydroxy acid, with a proportion of saturated acids that
is usually small in comparison with that existing in most vegetable oils. The most recent
estimate, based on the examination of oils from 19 samples of seed grown in different
parts of the world, indicates that the mixed fatty acids of castor oil consist of ricinoleic
acid, 91.4 to 94.9 percent, linoleic acid 4.5 to 5.0 percent, oleic acid trace and saturated
acids, a little over 1 percent. Another estimate based on iodine, thiocyanogen and
hydroxyl values, together with results of a determination of saturated acids by the
Bertram method gave the following percentages of the individual acids in the mixed
fatty-acids of castor oil. Ricinoleic, 87.0, oleic 7.4, linoleic 3.1, dihydroxy stearic 0.6,
saturated acids, 2.4.

REACTIONS OF CASTOR OIL

Some of the reactions of castor oil centering around the hydroxyl group and unsaturated
group of ricinoleic acid have an important bearing upon uses to which castor oil is put.
Reaction with sulphuric acid produces the so-called sulphonated castor oil or Turkey
need oil, which has been used since about 1877 as assistant in dyeing and may be
considered a forerunner of modern synthetic wetting agents and detergents. The principal
reaction is sulphation of hydroxyl group rather than sulphonation but the commercial
“sulphonated” oil is rather complex mixture.
Castor oil decomposes when heated to a high temperature, with evolution of volatile
decomposition products. Under certain conditions of destructive distillation at
temperatures above 3000C, the carbon chain in ricinoleic acid is broken between the 11th
and 12th carbon atoms and the principal products are heptaldehyde and undecylenic acid,
both of which are useful materials for the preparation of perfumes and intermediates.
Effects of various temperatures and catalysts on the products obtained in this type of
cracking have been studied. When the oil is heated to a high temperature with alkali, the
decomposition of the soaps proceeds in a somewhat different way, with the clearage
taking place between the 10th and 11th carbon atoms with the evolution of methyl-n-
hexylcarbinol (2 – octanol) or a mixture of 2 – octanol and methylhexylketone.
Simultaneously, the terminal carbon atom of the residue is oxidized to a carboxyl group
and hydrogen is evolved. Acidulation of the sodium salts formed in this way produces
sebacic acid. This increasing demand of the last few years for dibasic acids for the
preparation of synthetic resins and plasticizers has made the preparation of these products
one of the important uses of castor oil. Dibasic acid may be prepared from castor oil in
another way by oxidation with strong oxidizing agents, such as alkaline permanganate of
nitric acid. By this method, the dibasic acid formed is principally azelaic acid.
Still another type of decomposition of castor oil, which has come to be of great
technologic importance, is the dehydration without cleavage of the carbon chain of the
ricinoleic acid. This takes place when castor oil is heated under appropriate conditions,
with or without catalysts, and results in the conversion of ricinoleic esters into esters of
dienoic acids. The products have become important materials for use in the coatings
industry and usually command a high price compared with most other drying oils.
Special properties of this type of oil are attributable to the fact that part of the dienoic
acids formed has their unsaturated bonds in the conjugated position; also the law
percentage of saturated acids and perhaps other factors are involved.

USES OF CASTOR OIL

The three principal uses of castor oil on the basis of total tonnage used currently are for
the production of point, varnish and related products ( in the form of dehydrated castor
oil), for the production of plasticizers (as castor oil, blown oil, or other esters of ricinoleic
acid) and for the production of dibasic acids. In addition to these, the oil appears in a
host of miscellaneous products. Cosmetics consume a considerable quantity in the
aggregate. Brilliantine’s and other hair dressings often include castor oil.

The properties of high viscosity and solubility in alcohol that determine the suitability of
castor oil for this purpose are also part of the qualifications that make it useful for use in
hydraulic fluids. Sulphonated castor oils are relatively less important than they were at
once time but still are manufactured in considerable tonnage.

In 1950 about 8 million pounds of castor oil was used for this purpose. Some of the uses
of castor oil which formerly were important, such as its use for plasticizing rosin in the
manufacture of sticky flypaper and its use as a lubricant, have declined because of
improvements made in other materials.

RECOMMENDATION
Due to the fact that castor oil ranks high in importance among the vegetable oils that are
used industrially, measures should be put in place to enlighten third world war countries
to stress the importance of the plant to their peoples. Also, the respective governments
should support farmers by provision of inputs and machinery for production of castor
plants. Consequently, more effort should be directed towards the education of the local
people in the rural areas so as understand and appreciate the benefit of the plant in terms
of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capital income for their respective countries.

CONCLUSION
Castor oil is one of the most interesting of the vegetable oils, in spite of the unpleasant
memories that often are associated with it. It is distinct in character and has a peculiar
composition which gives it great versality.Its special properties adapt it to certain uses for
which most other oils are unsuitable.
REFERENCES
1. Bailey’s industrial oil and fat products – 1978 volume 2.
2. Fats and oils: chemistry and technology.