Best Practice of High-Quality Lecithin Production. From Miscella-Clarification to Lecithin-Powder Barbara Harten – Application Sales Manager PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE: OILSEEDS DEEP PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES (LECITHIN))
Content • Lecithin • Water degumming • Lecithin drying • Crude oil clarification. • Lecithin de-oiling • Summary High Quality Lecithin Production 2
Basics of Lecithn • Lecithin belongs to the phospholipids, one part of the molecule is hydrophilic the other part hydrophobic • Degumming =Removal of phospholipids (gums) from fats and oils • Phospholipids are phosphorous containing organic substances • The content of phospholipids are determined by analysing the phosphorous content in the oils and fats • Factor to convert phosphorous to phospholipids: 30 • Hydratable gums are removed by adding water • The quantity of gums are depending on the extraction method of the oil from the seed; only pressing leads to a low total gum content with high hydratable gum content Fatty Acid Glycerol O Fatty Acid O P O Fatty Acid O - Phospatidyl choline (lecithine) 3 High quality lecithin production
Composition of phospholipids Soybean Oil Rapeseed Oil Sunflower Oil 200 – 900 300 – 700 Phosphor content [ppm] 400 - 1200 1.0 – 2.9 0.5 – 2.3 0.8 – 1.8 Phospholipids content [%] 29 – 52 PC (MW 784) 47 27 Phospholipids 11 – 22 PI (MW 861) 24 17 distribution 17 – 26 PE (MW 742) 20 17 [%] PA (MW 699) 9 39 15 -30 • Hydratable phospholipids • Phosphatidyl choline (PC) • Phosphatodyl inositol (PI) • Non-hydratable phospholipids (calcium, magnesium and iron salts) • Phosphatitic acid (PA) • Phosphatidyl etholamine (PE) Remark : Simplified model, not all PA and PE are NHP High Quality Lecithin Production
Lecithin market • Market price of soybean meal – Price in US$ per ton 300 – 500 US$ per ton 3500 • Market price of dried lecithin – 3000 600 – 1.200 US$ per ton 2500 • Market price for lecithin granulate 2000 – 2 – 10 US$ per kg 1500 • Growing interest for lecithin 1000 granulates / powder in food 500 industry • Growing interestest in lecithin 0 from sunflower and rapeseed oil 5 High Quality Lecithin Production
Lecithin Usage • What is Lecithin used for • Emulsifier for food products • Target quality of Lecithin • Bread • Light Color – influenced strongly by solids in the crude oil • Margarine • Chocolate • instant drinks • Low content of solids • Technical use: < 0.3% • Animal feed • Emulsification, digestion and binding of dust during production • Fish Farming • Food products: • Non food applications / technical target < 0.1% applications • Cosmetics • Pesticides • Paint industry etc. 6 High Quality Lecithin Production
Lecithin recovery process overview Seed Beans Press-Cake Meal Pressing Extraction Animal feed Press oil Miscella-Clarification clarification Wet-Gums Crude- Water degumming Water-Degumming Lecithin-Drying Lecithin Oil Crude-Lecithin Lecithin Lecithin-Deoiling Refining Powder 7 High Quality Lecithin Production
Water Degumming • Removes only hydratable phosphatides • Wet gums can be dried in a lecithin dryer and sold as lecithin • Refining of degummed oils causes lower oil losses • Pre-caution for soap-stock splitting for yield improvement of the alkaline neutralisation • Improve storage and transportation stability of the oil 8 High Quality Lecithin Production
Water Degumming • Process parameters: • Process achievements: • Oil temperature: • Residual phosphatides: 75 - 90 ° C non-hydratables + max. 0,1 % hydratables • Water addition: • Oil loss: corresponding to the phosphatide content max. 35 % oil in dried gums • Hydration time: • Moisture: with high shear mixing not required < 0.5 % without vacuum drying with static mixers min. 30 minutes < 0.1 % with vacuum drying 9 High Quality Lecithin Production
Loss calculation alkaline neutralisation Loss formula for neutralization : Total Loss= ffa + phosphatides+ moisture+ impurities+ 0,3 % Loss=0,6 +1,25* Total Loss Losses water degumming : AI = 65 %= 35 % oil in gums Typical quality for crude sunflower oil: • ffa = 1 % : • P crude = 800 ppm= 2,4 % • P water degummed= 100ppm=0,3 % • Moisture = 0,2 % • Impurities= 0,2 % 10 High Quality Lecithin Production
Loss calculation Neutralisation without water Neutralization combined with water degumming degumming TL = 1 +2,4+0,2+0,2 + 0,3= 4,3 % TL = 1 +0,3+0,2+0,2 + 0,3= 1,96 % Losses = 0.6+ 1,25 * 4,3 = 5,97 % Losses = 3,05 % Gum content in the gum discharge= 800 ppm P-100ppmP = 700 ppm P * 30 =2,1 % gums/35 %Oil content= 0,73 % oil loss + 2,1% gums = Loss = 5,97 % Loss = 5,88 % Yield gain 0,09 % Profit: 300 t/d = 100.000 t/a x 0.09 % x 800 € = 72,000 € /a 1000 t/d= 330.000 t/a x 0,09 % X 800 € = 237,600 € /a 11 High Quality Lecithin Production
Lecithin recovery Lecithin recovery process overview Seed Beans Press-Cake Meal Pressing Extraction Animal feed Press oil Miscella-Clarification clarification Wet-Gums Crude- Lecithin drying Water-Degumming Lecithin-Drying Lecithin Oil Crude-Lecithin Lecithin Lecithin-De-oiling Refining Powder 12 High Quality Lecithin Production
Lecithin Drying Effective Lecithin drying is necessary for : • Storage stability • Transportation cost Best Practice Lecithin Drying Important Factors : • Temperature (∆ t low) • Solid content in the lecithin in the dryer • Design of the dryer (horizontal/vertical) • Oil content • Purity of the condensate • High flexibility in terms of throughput capacity • Low residence time in the dryer ( approx. 1 min) 13 High Quality Lecithin Production
Design of Lecithin Dryer Short Path distillation • Horizontal dryer and conical backward design : One floor installation Is used for products , which agglomerate to hard particles example: lecithin form rape or sunflower seed, particles are draught back to the feed side with milder temperature less burning of particles cheaper installation (one floor) easy maintained Wider range of throughput capacity Gap between the rotor and inner shell can be adjusted as set up for different types of lecithin • Vertical dryer : Can be used for soy bean lecithin as this lecithin does not intent to built hard particles Cheaper apparatus 14 High Quality Lecithin Production
Lecithin-Drying 15 High Quality Lecithin Production
Lecithin recovery process overview Lecithin recovery Seed Beans Press-Cake Meal Pressing Extraction Animal feed Oil Press oil Miscella-Clarification clarification clarification Wet-Gums Crude- Water-Degumming Lecithin-Drying Lecithin Oil Crude-Lecithin Lecithin Lecithin-Deoiling Refining Powder 16 High Quality Lecithin Production
Crude oil clarification / filtration When it is needed to produce a high quality lecithin it is a condition that the oil must be clarified before degumming. That means that all the solid impurities must be removed prior the degumming process, like: • Fibers • Proteins This can be mane in several ways: 1. Hydrozyclon 2. Crude oil filtration 3. Clarification of the crude oil with separators 4. Miscella clarification 17 High Quality Lecithin Production
Influence Parameters on Clarification • Amount of Particles • Particle Size • Particle size is the main limit for the clarification / filtration technology • Particle Size distribution analyse should be done 50 µm – Limit of Hydrocyclon 15 - 5 µm – Limit of Crude Oil Clarification/Filtration 2 µm – Limit of Miscella Clarification 18 High Quality Lecithin Production
Crude Oil Filtration Filter aid Crude oil Filtrated Filter oil cake 19 High Quality Lecithin Production
Crude Oil Filtration • Use of filter aid • A second filter or big intermediate tanks necessary • Big installation area • Specific manpower for operation and filter cleaning • Needs steam for blowing the filter • Oil losses in the spent filter aid • Reposition for the filtering clothes • Disposal of the filter cake Risk= filter leakage • In case of filter leakage the separators for degumming will have erosion problems • Filter aid and particles from the crude oil will contaminate the gum discharge 20 High Quality Lecithin Production
Crude oil clarification Soya flakes Clarified oil Hexane Meal CLARIFICATION EXTRACTION DESTILLATION DESSOLVENTIZING 21 High Quality Lecithin Production
Crude oil clarification • Continuous process • No significant oil losses Clarified oil • Without additional effluent stream Crude oil • Solids can be added to the meal or returned to extractor • Equivalent result as filtration (Hexane insoluble in dried Impurities lecithin typically 0.05 to 0.1 %) • Low space requirement of the installation • No additional manpower required • No oil losses in the filter aid 22 High Quality Lecithin Production
Miscella clarification Soya flakes Hexane Meal Clarified oil DESTILLATION + EXTRACTION DESSOLVENTIZING CLARIFICATION 23 High Quality Lecithin Production
Miscella clarification Inert gas panel N 2 Clarified Miscella miscella Impurities Model used by: 24 High Quality Lecithin Production
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