A MEMBRANE PRE-TREATMENT SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCING REFINED OILS AND FATS

摘要

The present invention relates to a system and process for producing refined oils and fats using a membrane system. The process involves pre-treating a crude oil or and fat using a series of membrane units to remove undesirable constituents with the view of improving the quality and stability of the refined oil and fat. Each series of the membrane units comprises a plurality of membrane modules, with each membrane module containing 1,000 to 3,000 fibers, and wherein the plurality of membrane modules in at least one of the series of the membrane units are polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) ultrafiltration membrane modules. The membrane- treated oils and fats are further refined by subjecting the oils and fats to bleaching and deodorization processes to produce the desired refined oils and fats.