Short Path Distillation

in the Fish Oil Industry

LIST of CONTENTS
Introduction .......................................................................................................... 3

Fish Oils .................................................................................................................. 3

World market – Key Figures .......................................................... 4

Omega-3 Oils – Nutritional and Health Aspects ............ 4

Applications of Fish Oils .................................................................... 5

Dietary Supplements .................................................................... 5

Functional Foods.............................................................................. 5

Persistent Organic Pollutants – POPs ...................................... 5

Dioxin and PCB ................................................................................ 6

Brominated Flame Retardants .............................................. 6

Pesticides .............................................................................................. 6

Short Path Distillation .................................................................................. 6

Technology .................................................................................................... 6

Solutions ........................................................................................................ 7

UIC GmbH .................................................................................................... 8

Applications of SPD ........................................................................................ 8

Production of Concentrates ............................................................ 9

Physical Refining ...................................................................................... 9

Stripping of Pollutants ...................................................................... 10

Summary .............................................................................................................. 11

Authors
Michael Albers
Vice President Sales and Process Technology
UIC GmbH, Germany

Jens Peter Graverholt

President
DAX Consult ApS, Denmark

Pictures by courtesy of TripleNine Fish Protein Amba,

Denmark, and Norwegian Seafood Export Council
Introduction Fish oils
Historically, marine oils have played an important role in Fish oils account for about two percent of world consump-
human nutrition. In recent centuries, the food industry has tion of fats and oils. The major producing areas are the
used them as a source of fat, either fully- or partially hy- west coast of South America, Asia and Northern Europe.
drogenated, in various foods as substitutes for traditional Fish oils are predominantly by-products from the produc-
fats with high melting points, such as butterfat, lard and tion of fishmeal for the animal and aquaculture feed in-
tallow. However, there is now major interest in marine oils dustry, and produced from fatty fish such as sardines, an-
due to their high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids chovies, pilchards, menhaden, herring, sand eels and
and multiple roles in human health. There is an established others. A relatively small proportion of current fish oil pro-
market for dietary supplements, plus a developing market duction specialises in oil production itself, e.g. production
for food ingredients produced from fish oils and concen- of cod liver oil.
trates of fish oil.
Traditionally, marine oils meant fats and oils from both
fish and mammals, such as whales and seals, but essen-
tially all marine oils today are by-products from the fish-
meal industry, where the raw material is smaller fish with
a relatively high content of fat, such as anchovies.
Within the last few decades, researchers have focused on
the impact of various persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
such as pesticides, dioxins etc, and regulatory bodies such
as the EU have imposed limits. Consequently, interest in
purifying fish oil has developed.
Short path distillation (SPD) offers a range of solutions for
processing and concentrating fish oil and removal of POPs. Fig. 2: Fish trawler
UIC GmbH has developed expertise within these applica-
tions and has already supplied several of their SPD plants During rendering, the fish are normally steam-cooked and
to the fish oil industry worldwide. pressed, and the liquid produced is separated into a fat
phase and a water phase containing protein. The crude fish
oil is stored and transported to a refinery, where the oil is
chemically refined (removal of free fatty acids) and deodor-
ised. Depending on the specific application of the oil, it may
also be winterised to be cold-clear for dietary supplements,
or hydrogenated to an elevated melting point for use in
margarine production.
Depending on the species of fish, their average age, geo-
graphical parameters etc. the content and variety of pollut-
ants varies, as does the necessity for cleaning. Removal of
dioxins/furans, PCBs and pesticides are especially import-
ant for liver oils, such as cod liver oil.

Fig. 1: Fish farm

3
World Market – Key Figures Omega-3 Oils –
Global supply of fish oil is around 1 million tonnes per year, Nutritional and Health Aspects
with the main producers being Peru (31 %), Chile (15 %) Fishermen with a diet rich in cod liver oil experienced some
and the EU (16 %). In 2002, fish oil usage ranged from in- of the first recorded nutritional benefits from marine prod-
dustrial and edible (human food) to aquaculture with 12, ucts. The fat-soluble vitamins A and D3 and their impor-
30 and 56 % respectively. The corresponding projected tance to human well-being were subsequently identified,
figures for 2010 are 7, 14, and 79 % respectively, indicating but it was at a much later stage that the benefits of some
a steep increase in aquaculture production, with some of the fatty acids in marine oils were recognised.
traders speculating whether there will be sufficient supplies Ever since publication of the research of two Danish doc-
for such an expansion. The largest consumer of fish oil is tors – Dyerberg and Bang in the 1970s and 80s – marine
China, and Norway is the biggest importer. oil has played an increasingly important role in scientific
A recent analysis of the European market for Omega-3 oils nutritional work, focusing especially on their beneficial
estimated the market still to be at the growth stage of its health effects ascribed to high content of long-chain poly-
product life cycle, with a value of 195 million USD in 2004 unsaturated fatty acids of 20 C-atoms and more. An ab-
and an estimated volume of 13,650 tonnes. The average undance of research has demonstrated the positive effects
price was 14.00 USD/kg, ranging from 2 USD to 300 of fish oils on cardiovascular disease, immune functions,
USD/kg. There are at least 50 active suppliers, but the top cognitive function and in other areas, and has sparked
ten participants account for more than 70 percent of the increasing attention around the world.
market. The forecast for 2010 is a market size of nearly 300 Fish oils are rich in some of the most important long-chain
million USD, meaning an increase of 53 % over 6 years. poly-unsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) from the Omega-3
The corresponding volume is nearly 20,000 tonnes, up group, namely EPA (C20:5, n-3) that are precursors to
44 %. some of our hormones (eicosanoids and prostaglandins)
and DHA (C22:6, n-3), an important substance in our ner-
vous tissues. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in veg-
etable oils, e.g. rape seed oil, as the shorter chain alfa-
linolenic acid ALA (C18:3, n-3). A similar Omega-6 group
contains PUFAs of vegetable origin, such as linoleic acid LA
(C18:2, n-6).
A balanced intake of n-3 PUFAs and n-6 PUFAs is import-
ant and should ideally be 1:5 but is quite often as high as
1:10, up to 1:50 in the western world. This is referred to as
a ‘nutritional gap’, which should be bridged by adding
more Omega-3 to the diet. Whether ALA will suffice or LC-
PUFAs EPA and DHA are preferable has been researched,
with strong indications that the LC-PUFAs are more effi-
cient.
The recommended daily intake of Omega-3 as stated by
ISSFAL (International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids
and Lipids) is 650 mg/day EPA+DHA, corresponding to
Fig. 3: Fish oil and fish feed approx. 2 g/day fish oil with 30% EPA+DHA.

4
Applications of Fish Oils Specifications for fish oils in this category are often limited
Over the years, marine oils, including fish oils, have been to fatty acid composition (EPA and DHA), oxidation para-
used in many diverse applications ranging from fuel for meters (peroxide and anisidin values) and content of free
the ancient oil lamps to modern furnaces and bio diesel; fatty acids (FFA) and in some cases also taste and odour.
and as raw material in paint production and margarine; as
an important ingredient in aquaculture feed, and in many Functional Foods
other applications. Within the food industry, functional foods are emerging as
The aquaculture industry is by far the biggest consumer of a novel food category, including foods fortified with fish oil
fish oil, with China the major producer of farmed fish and and promoted as containing Omega-3. These products
shrimps. Adding the proper Omega-3 fatty acids to fish encompass a wide variety of traditional foods, such as
feed is necessary, as fish cannot metabolise EPA and DHA margarine, milk, bread, cheese, yogurt, and others where
from other fatty acids. high-quality fish oil is incorporated during processing.
More and more companies are exploiting the possibilities Fish oils utilised in these products must fulfil very specific
within dietary supplements and functional foods catering demands for fatty acid composition, very low oxidation
to a growing group of more health-conscious consumers. parameters (peroxide and anisidin values), high oxidative
For both these segments, there are high demands for spec- stability (e.g. Rancimat) and neutral taste and flavour (no
ifications, quality control and documentation including fish taste or odour).
rigid requirements for potentially hazardous substances
such as persistent pollutants, heavy metals etc. Similarly, Persistent Organic Pollutants – POPs
manufacturers are more concerned about the organolep- POPs are chemical substances that persist in the environ-
tic qualities of their fish oils in order to avoid consumer ment, bio-accumulate through the food chain, and pose a
complaints and possible rejection of the product. Sensory risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the en-
parameters, taste and smell, can easily be measured and vironment. With the evidence of long-range transport of
limits of acceptance can be formulated. these substances to regions where they have never been
used or produced, and the consequent threats they pose to
the global environment, several actions to reduce and elim-
inate release of these chemicals have been initiated.
Due to long-range transport, POPs are found in areas close
to civilisation and industry as well as in remote areas close
to the poles. Most POPs are to a high degree fat-soluble,
and as such are incorporated in the fat tissues of smaller
organisms such as algae and zooplankton and further up
Fig. 4: Omega-3 is also a functional ingredient in the food chain. So POPs constitute a major problem in
fish oils, especially in fish that are caught as mature adults,
Dietary Supplements but also in smaller species harvested in polluted waters such
This category ranges from traditional types of fish oil, such as the Baltic Sea.
as cod liver oil (plain or with added flavour) and fish oil en- Identified POPs are industrial pollutants such as dioxin
capsulated in gelatine capsules, concentrated fish oil with (PCDDs), furans (PCDFs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs);
elevated levels of EPA and DHA, to formulated products brominated flame retardants (PBDE, HBCD, PBB); and pes-
such as emulsions with added flavour and vitamins. Typi- ticides, such as DDT, Toxaphene, Mirex. For some POPs,
cally, promotion and advertising for these products is switch- the regulations are very well defined, but for others there
ing towards Omega-3 from fish oil and vitamin content. are no currently no official limits.

5
Dioxin and PCB Pesticides
New maximum levels for dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in In 2005, EU Regulation (396/2005) on maximum residue
foods and feeding stuffs have recently been enacted by levels of pesticides in or on food and feed of plant and ani-
Commission Regulation (EC) No 199/2006 (food) and Com- mal origin was passed. Eventually, this regulation in com-
mission Directive 2006/13/EC (feed). The new limits will be bination with amendments on pesticides and foodstuffs
effective from 4 November 2006 and may be revised by including fish oils and specific limits for these combina-
the end of 2008. tions, will govern the maximum levels for the industry to
The maximum levels for dioxins and those for the sum of adhere to.
dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, both of which must be com-
plied with, will take effect from November 2006. Exceed- Short Path Distillation
ing these limits will lead to a ban on the sale of the food Technology
or feedstuff. Short Path Distillation – often also called ”molecular dis-
For marine oil (fish body oil, fish liver and oils of other tillation” – offers the advantage of distillation at consider-
marine organisms) intended for human consumption the ably reduced pressure and thus reduced evaporation tem-
maximum levels are: perature with distillation rates of 100-200 kg per square
• For sum of dioxins and furans (WHO-TEQ): 2.0 pg/g fat metre evaporator surface area and hour. These economi-
• For sum of dioxins, furans and dioxin-like PCBs (WHO- cal distillation rates can be achieved in the fine vacuum
TEQ): 10.0 pg/g fat range, i.e. within the pressure range of 10-3 to 1 mbar.
The corresponding action thresholds are 1.5 and 6.0 pg/g Short Path Distillation can be applied whenever all other
fat, respectively. At these levels manufacturers are expect- distillation methods lead to thermal product damage, or if
ed to take various actions; re-analyse the product, seek the vapour pressures of the components to be separated
possible paths of contaminations etc. are so low that evaporation at atmospheric pressure or
Target levels for future limits are expected by the end of rough vacuum would require extremely high temperatures.
2008. The Short Path Distillation plants in current use for indus-
Under ”Products intended for animal feed” the maximum trial production are based on two different technical con-
levels for fish oils are: cepts. In both types of plants, the mixture of substances to
• For sum of dioxins and furans (WHO-TEQ): 6.0 pg/g fat
• For sum of dioxins, furans and dioxins-like PCBs (WHO-
TEQ): 24.0 pg/g fat
The corresponding action thresholds are 6.0 pg/g and
14.0 pg/g fat.

Brominated Flame Retardants

At present, there are no EU-regulations on the content of
brominated flame-retardants in food and feedstuffs. A ban
on certain PBDE formulations has recently been imposed
on the traditional applications in electronic equipment etc.
Furthermore, monitoring of a range of other congeners is
recommended by the European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA) and their environmental impacts are being debated.
Fig. 5: KDL 5 laboratory plant

6
Fig. 6: KD 6 – mini pilot plant

be evaporated is distributed as a very thin film onto the

evaporator surface.
Centrifugal molecular distillation is being done by means
of a rotating disc. The mixture to be separated is fed into
the centre of the disc. Once the disc is rotated at high
1 Residue nozzle 8 Shaft with distribution plate
speed, it generates a thin film, which is forced to the outer
2 Heating jacket 9 Hot oil (in)
edge of the disc. If the disc is heated, the light volatile com-
3 Roller wiper system 10 Hot oil (out)
ponents of the mixture are evaporated. By changing the
4 Vacuum chamber 11 Vacuum nozzle
rotation speed of the evaporator disc, film thickness and
5 Inner condenser 12 Cooling media (out)
residence time are influenced. The condenser is located a
6 Feed nozzle 13 Destillate nozzle
short distance from the evaporator disc.
7 Motor 14 Cooling media (in)
A second way of creating a thin product film is the use of
a Thin Film Evaporator with a mechanical agitation system Fig. 7: Schematic design of a Short Path Distillator
to distribute and mix the film as it flows down the evapo-
rator wall. By mixing this film with wiping elements, the Solutions
material and heat transfer within the film are additionally Before a new application for Short Path Distillation is put
improved. To at least be able to distil in the pressure range into industrial production use, laboratory trials and pilot
of the fine vacuum, the vapours must have a large cross- trials for scaling up the process have to be performed in
section on their way from the evaporator surface to the most cases.
condenser. For this reason, the condenser of a Short Path Laboratory trials are typically performed using small-scale
Distillator is located at the centre of the apparatus. Using glass distillation equipment in order to monitor the behav-
an external condenser would require a higher operating iour of the material during evaporation, e.g. film distribu-
pressure to achieve sufficient vapour flow between evapo- tion on the evaporator surface, mechanical agitation of the
rator and external condenser. The schematic design of a film and possible splashing effects. An example of a labo-
Short Path Distillator is shown in figure 7. ratory unit of type KDL 5 with a fully heatable evaporator

7
 UIC GmbH
Until 1989, UIC GmbH was a part of Leybold (Leybold-
Heraeus), based in Hanau, Germany, a world-market leader
in the field of vacuum process technology. Since the early
days of Short Path Distillation using agitated Thin Film eva-
porators in the 1960s, a unique and profound know-how
was gained through the installation of over a thousand
vacuum distillation systems for customers all over the
world. This know-how is now used as the basis of UIC’s
successful activities in many different applications and is
Fig. 8: Short Path Distillation plant for industrial production not only retained by UIC, but is constantly expanded by
Research and Development activities in order to adapt exist-
is shown in figure 5. Operating temperatures up to 350 °C ing systems to specific customer applications and continu-
and operating pressures down to 0.001 mbar can be ously improve the equipment and distillation processes.
achieved with this unit. The residue and distillate sections UIC specialises in being able to supply not only the correct
can be individually heated by circulation of heat transfer Short Path Distillator for each individual project, but also
fluid. exact analysis of the customer’s application to design and
As heat transfer through glass is much lower compared to deliver a customised turnkey plant, including all necessary
metal, a scale-up calculation from glass evaporators to secondary equipment.
industrial stills, which are mostly produced of stainless A range of lab and pilot plants are available for test distil-
steel, is impractical. Pilot trials on small metal evaporators lations of customers´ sample materials at UIC’s laborato-
have to thus be performed which can achieve similar ope- ries in Germany. The results of such test distillations are
rating conditions in terms of pressure, temperature and used to prove that UIC plants will be able to produce pro-
specific surface load as for large commercial plants. Mini ducts with the specified quality, and form the basis for
pilot plants such as the KD 6 shown in fig. 6 have been in design of production plants by scaling-up.
use for several years, and are becoming increasingly com- UIC GmbH is very export-oriented with strong market po-
mon for this purpose. Apart from their flexibility, which is sitions in Asia, Europe and North/South America. Local
similar to the multi-purpose laboratory units, they recreate representatives of UIC are available in many countries for
real production conditions. This is why type KD 6 plants are optimal communication with UIC’s customers and to pro-
also used for small-scale production of valuable products. vide after sales services.
Compared to laboratory and small pilot equipment, Thin
Film type Short Path Distillators are much more often used
compared to centrifugal molecular stills in large-scale com-
mercial production (see fig. 8). Nowadays, individual Thin
Film apparatuses with evaporation surface areas of more
than 50 m2 for throughputs of several tons per hour are
manufactured and successfully used in many applications.

8
Applications of SPD formly distributed in the triglycerides. Furthermore, the
As already mentioned, Short Path Distillation is applied distillation of triglycerides requires high temperatures, risk-
whenever heat-sensitive substances have to be distilled for ing thermal decomposition or transisomerisation of the
purification, yet other distillation techniques lead to ther- unsaturated fatty acids, and/or a very low operating pres-
mal decomposition of the material. Typical examples of sure, which results in uneconomically low specific feed rates.
such heat-sensitive products are: State of the art for the concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids
Chemicals by distillation is the fractionation of their ethyl esters. The
Synthetic vitamins, polyglycerol, UV stabilizers, paraffin waxes latter can be obtained by an interesterification reaction of
Pharmaceuticals the fish oil with ethanol. By subsequent removal of the
Intermediates (mostly liquid at ambient temperature), de- short chain fatty acid esters C-14 to C-18 from the ester
rivatives of alkaloid, e.g. Quinine and THC mixture by one or more Short Path Distillation steps, a pre-
Intermediate plastic products concentrate fraction is obtained containing mainly C-20
Polyurethane pre-polymers, epoxy resins, acrylates, poly- and C-22 fatty acid esters in which EPA and DHA are also
ols, plasticizers found. The final concentration, achieved using the same
Cosmetics kind of pre-concentrates in a further Short Path Distillator,
Wool alcohols, wool waxes, fragrances can result in total Omega-3 content of up to 70 %. The EPA
Mineral oil products to DHA ratio mainly depends on their content in the base
Base and lubrication oils, vacuum residues, waxes material and on the degree of concentration, as EPA ethyl
Food ingredients and additives ester – the more volatile compound – will also accumulate
Monoglycerides, natural tocopherols and tocotrienols, phy- in the mid-chain-length fatty acid ester fraction. Rework of
tosterols, essential oils such as orange oil, ginger oil, jas- the latter fraction by Short Path Distillation increases the
mine oil, pepper oil, fish oil and derivatives thereof. yield of recovery of Omega-3 fatty acids.
Fish oil processing by Short Path Distillation basically in- Even at this stage, ethyl esters can be used as consumer
volves three different types of applications, i.e. production products, e.g. in capsules. However, according to local legis-
of concentrates, physical refining, and stripping of pollut- lation in some countries, it is necessary to reconvert the
ants or undesirable minor components, discussed in more concentrated ethyl esters back to tri-glycerides performing
detail in the following: a second interesterification step with glycerol.
In order to obtain the pure compounds, i.e. EPA and DHA
Production of Concentrates separately, further separation methods are applied such
The content of Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oils not only de- as chromatography, selective enzymatic interesterification,
pends on the species of fish itself, but also on the habitat or to some degree also vacuum rectification using special
and season. A typical base material for commercial pro- structured packing material.
duction of Omega-3 concentrates is sardine or anchovy oil
from the Pacific, with a content of approx. 18 % EPA and Physical Refining
approx. 12 % of DHA. Tuna oil is also used for special DHA The physical refining of edible oils by ”molecular distilla-
concentrates, as it has up to 25 % of DHA in the crude oil. tion” instead of the classic physical or chemical refining –
In general, the concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids in the especially the removal of free fatty acid and bad-tasting
crude oil should not be less than 30 % in total. and odour-giving components – was already reported in
In literature it is described that fish oil was purified by the late 1950s. It was shown that the aforementioned com-
”molecular distillation” as a triglyceride. However, this did ponents are mainly found in the first fractions of a “mol-
not result in a significant improvement in the concentra- ecular distillation” at comparably low operating tempera-
tion of Omega-3 fatty acids, as they are more or less uni- tures, i.e. between 80 °C and 160 °C. Higher temperatures

9
– above 200 °C – lead to removal of heavier compounds vidual contents do not include the values of the detection
such as vitamins and sterols. limits (dl) for congeners, which were below their detection
The advantage of physical de-acidification by Short Path limit within the analysis.
Distillation is the low operating temperature compared to
de-acidification by steam stripping in a classical column, Feed After SPD
treatment at
enabling treatment of heat-sensitive oils. Furthermore, it is
200 °C 220 °C
also possible to substitute a chemical de-acidification pro-
Dioxins and Furans – PCDD/F 04.28 0.32 0.22
cess by Short Path Distillation, avoiding unpleasant soap Dioxin-like PCBs, acc. to WHO 21.60 2.14 1.16
handling.
Fig. 9 shows the content of free fatty acid (FFA) given in Fig. 10: Measured contents excluding detection limits (dl) – as ng/kg
mass percent in high oleic sunflower oil depending on the TEQ (WHO)
evaporator jacket temperature of a Short Path Distillator.
The initial FFA content in the crude oil was 5 %, the lowest The reduction factors [c(0)/c(e)] for PCDF and PCDD are
concentration achievable in this example was 0.1 % at 200 °C. 13.4 at 200 °C and 19.5 at 220 °C. Similar reduction ratios
In general, the removal of free fatty acid by Short Path Dis- were achieved for the non-ortho and mono-ortho PCB, in
tillation can be performed in a single stage mode of ope- the range of 10.1 at 200 °C and 18.6 at 220 °C.
ration or in a double stage operation, depending on the During the study, it became obvious that the maximum
initial FFA content and depending on the desired final con- reduction rate for the different compounds was limited no
centration and admissible maximum operating temperature. matter how high the operating temperature of the Short
2
Path Distillator jacket was set.
1,8
In some distillation series, we used a circulation washing
1,6

1,4
liquid flowing down the surface of the internal condenser
ffa content [mass %]

1,2
to avoid solidification of the distillates, e.g. cholesterols.
1

0,8
Under these conditions the reduction factor [c(0)/c(e)] for
0,6
PCDF and PCDD was increased from 19.5 to 93.0 and the
0,4

0,2
reduction ratio for the PCB from 18.6 to 37.9 as given in fig. 11.
0
150 160 170 180 190 200 210

temperature [°C]
Feed After SPD at 220 °C
without with
Fig. 9: Deacidification of sunflower oil by Short Path Distillation
washing washing
Dioxins and Furans – PCDD/F 04.28 0.22 0.046
Stripping of Pollutants Dioxin-like PCBs, acc. to WHO 21.60 1.16 0.570
The removal of PCDF, PCDD, PCBs and PBDE from a
bleached and filtered Norwegian cod liver oil with low FFA Fig. 11: Measured contents excluding detection limits (dl) – as ng/kg
content was investigated by trials on a KD 10 pilot plant, TEQ (WHO)
using an evaporation surface of 0.1 m2 at UIC's research
and development centre. The explanation for this phenomenon is as follows:
In fig. 10, the contents of PCDF and PCDD and dioxin-like PCDF/PCDD and PCB are highly diluted in the fish oil. In
PCB are given in ng/kg toxic equivalents (WHO-TEQ) for contrast, their concentration on the internal condenser
the feed material and for the stripped material at 200 °C surface is very high because the distillate only consists of
and 220 °C respectively in the fine vacuum range. The a few fatty acids and some glycerides. Due to the relatively
internal condenser temperature was set to 70 °C to avoid high concentration of PCDF/PCDD and PCB in the distil-
solidification of the distillate. The values given for the indi- late, their vapour pressure at condensation temperature

10
       the cholesterol content in the cod liver oil studied was
found, a significant loss of vitamin A was not observed in


the temperature range between 200 °C and 220 °C.
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UIC’s patent for the improved stripping process by circula-


ting a washing liquid on the condensation surface of a

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Short Path Distillation opens a variety of different and al-

         


ternative options within the refining and processing of fish
Fig. 12 oils. Beside the concentration of Omega-3 fatty acid esters
the role of SPD within the crude oil refining process is in-
cannot be neglected any longer. Even if the internal con- creasing continuously.
denser is operated at a temperature 150 °C lower than the Chemical de-acidification always related with unpleasant
evaporator jacket temperature, PCDF/PCDD and PCB start soap handling and oil loss to the soap stock can be substi-
to evaporate back from the internal condenser. This is illus- tuted easily by Short Path Distillation.
trated in fig. 12 based on the removal of the 12 WHO-PCBs. Filtration with activated carbon or steam stripping for pes-
Thus a certain minimum value cannot be under-run, due ticide removal can be replaced by single-stage Short Path
to the vapour pressure of PCDF/PCDD and PCB on the Distillation, which is proven to easily under-run the maxi-
internal condenser at a given temperature. mum limits of pollutant concentration as stated by Com-
The situation changes when washing fluid is used. Because mission Regulation (EC) No 199/2006 (food). The effective-
the components are diluted in the washing fluid, their ness of the stripping process of pollutants can still be
vapour pressures above the mixture with the washing fluid enhanced if required, by using specially designed distilla-
are reduced and the re-evaporation effect is suppressed. tion devices.
This effect is illustrated in fig. 13. Commercial Short Path Distillation units suitable for conti-
Similar reduction effects have been observed for PBDE nuous industrial production can be designed for produc-
(poly-brominated diphenyl-ethers) despite the reduction tion rates between 10 kg/h and 10 t/h. The flexibility in size
factors compared to chlorinated compounds have been allows matching the size of the distillation unit to desired
smaller. production capacity. This is one of the reasons why the
Under trial conditions as given above, a slight decrease of technology of Short Path Distillation will be very in-
teresting for the production of specialty (fish) oils in the
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11
 1.09.2006/TKMS • Printed in Germany • Technical atlerations reserved

Am Neuen Berg 4 Tel.: +49 60 23-950-0 info@uic-gmbh.de

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