Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for refining glyceride oil comprising a neutralization treatment in which alkali is mixed into crude or water degummed glyceride oil and a separation treatment in which the soapstock formed is separated from the glyceride oil by subjecting the oil to two centrifugal separators in series, in which at least 1 wt. % of the oil passes through both separators twice.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the regeneration of spent bleaching earth, comprising an oxidative heat treatment in which the amount of oxygen supplied exceeds the stoichiometrical requirement of complete oxidation of all organics present in the spent bleaching earth, wherein the spent bleaching earth and the oxygen are blown through a stationary fluidized bed of inert granulate material. The stationary fluidized bed should be as high as to limit the temperature in the freeboard to less than 1000.degree. C. As a matter of fact, it has been found that, if the fluidized bed is not high enough, the oxygen required to burn off the organics content of the spent bleaching earth would blow out the powdered bleaching earth from the bed at the stage of incomplete oxidation of the organics present on the earth, resulting in an uncontrolled temperature rise in the freeboard and local overheating of the bleaching earth.

Abstract: Process for fractionating phosphatide mixtures into two or more fractions which are enriched in one or more of phosphatidyl choline (PC), phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE), phosphatidyl inositol (PI) and phosphatidic acid (PA) by carrying out extraction steps using alcoholic solvent in which the solubilities of PC, PE and PA are controlled by suitably adjusting the acidity of the solvent, the pH being adjusted to above 8 for solubilizing PC and PE and to below 5 for solubilizing PA. PI is substantially insoluble in the solvent used in the process and thus is mainly recovered in the extraction residue. Further parameters influencing the solubility of the components of the phosphatide mixtures to be fractionated are water content of the alcoholic solvent, temperature and choice of bases and acids for adjusting the pH. For further separating fractions rich in PC and PE di- or trivalent metal salt solutions are used.

Abstract: A three or optionally four stage process for the continuous removal of a gum phase from triglyceride oil is described in which in a first stage the oil containing a separate gum phase is subjected to centrifugal separation in a first centrifugal separator to yield gums with low oil content and an oil that still contains a fraction of the gums originally present in the feed, in a second stage the oil obtained from the first stage is subjected to centrifugal separation in a second centrifugal separator to yield oil with a further reduced residual gum content and a gum phase with a higher oil content than the gums obtained in the first stage, in a third stage the gum phase obtained in the second stage is recycled into the oil stream fed to the first centrifugal separator and optionally in a fourth stage the oil obtained in the second stage is washed one or more times with water.