Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Bryant Cave LLP
  • Patent number: 6358301
    Abstract: The invention relates to a process for preparing a highly loaded adsorbent by extracting an oil from an oil crude product using supercritical fluid extraction to obtain a loaded supercritical fluid (SCF). The loaded SCF is expanded, followed by heating to obtain a liquid phase and an in-loading reduced SCF phase. Optionally, the pressure is decreased and/or the temperature of the SCF is raised to conditions of adsorption. The SCF is introduced into a fixed bed adsorber to obtain an adsorbent loaded with the purified oil and pure SCF. The liquid phase is fed as a reflux to the extraction device. The pure SCF is compressed and tempered to extraction conditions. The pure SCF is recycled to an extraction device. Also provided is a process for purifying an oil from an oil crude product by desorbing the adsorbed oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Roche Vitamins Inc.
    Inventor: Ute Fleck