Used cooking oil is processed by heating it and then separating its components using a centrifuge.
Detailed Processing of Used Cooking Oil
The process involves specific steps to transform used cooking oil into reusable materials. Here’s a breakdown:
- Heating:
- Used cooking oil, which can be plant or animal fats, along with any contents from grease traps, is heated.
- The oil needs to reach a specific temperature required for the next processing step.
- Centrifugation:
- The heated oil is then fed into a 3-phase centrifuge, specifically a Flottweg Tricanter®.
- This machine is designed to separate the oil into its three distinct components:
- Water: Any water present is separated from the oil.
- Oil: The main fraction of oil that can be further processed or repurposed.
- Solid particles: Leftover food particles and other solids are removed from the mixture.
- Separation:
- The centrifuge accomplishes the separation of these three phases in a single step. This is important for efficient and quick processing.
Benefits of this Process
- Resource Recovery: By recycling used cooking oil, we can recover valuable resources that might otherwise be wasted.
- Environmental Protection: This process reduces the risk of improper disposal, which can cause drain blockages and water contamination.
- Sustainable Practices: Recovered oil can be used to produce biofuels or other useful products.
The use of a 3-phase centrifuge offers a efficient way to handle used cooking oils, allowing for quicker and more effective separation of water, oil and solids.
