Simulation of continuous physical refiners for edible oil deacidification

Physical refining, also known as deacidification by steam distillation, is a process in which free fatty acids and other volatile compounds are distilled off from the oil, using an effective stripping agent (usually steam) and suitable processing conditions. In general, vegetable oils are formed by triacylglycerols, free fatty acids, partial acylglycerols and some minor compounds, constituting a complex mixture.This work presents the implementation of a simulation program applied to the physical refining of edible oils, following a multicomponent-stripping tray-column design. Two singular vegetable oils, from palm and coconut, were selected. Their entire compositions were considered within the simulations, including acylglycerols and free fatty acids. To describe the required physical properties, group contribution methods and empirical equations were selected. The results were analyzed and compared with the literature in terms of neutral oil loss and final oil acidity, as a function of the processing conditions. Murphree efficiencies and entrainment were considered for each plate.