Abstract: An oxidative thermochemical drying treatment of naturally occurring organic substances, to prepare a new class of hydrophobic oleophilic products, and a new class of hydrophilic oleophilic ones. The treatment comprises moistening and heating the raw materials in a thermochemical apparatus equipped with a gas flow system, in an oxidizing medium for a period of time. The efficiency of the treatment can be improved by pretreatments of the raw materials, such as by boiling in water, by soaking in acidic or alkaline solution, by mechanically expanding, by adding volatile reagents and by freezing. A special pretreatment of the raw materials with carbonate or bicarbonate results in hydrophilic oleophilic products. The series of the hydrophobic oleophilic and hydrophilic oleophilic products made from different natural substances under various oxidative thermochemical drying conditions have different characteristics and are low-cost, biodegradable, environmentally harmless and widely useful.

Abstract: The invention relates to an oxidative thermochemical drying process for changing the hydrophilic and hydrophobic characteristics of organic substances, in particular naturally occurring organic substances, to prepare a new class of hydrophobic oleophilic products, and a new class of hydrophilic oleophilic ones. The process comprises moistening and heating the raw materials in a thermochemical convection apparatus or kiln equipped with a gas flow system, in an oxidizing medium for a predetermined period of time. The efficiency of the treatment can be improved by pretreatments of the raw materials, such as by boiling in water, by soaking in acidic or alkaline solution, by mechanically expanding; by adding volatile reagents and by freezing. One unique pretreatment with carbonate or bicarbonate of the raw materials results in hydrophilic oleophilic bi-functional products.