Activação da Bentonite de Boane como corpo adsortivo para o branqueamento de óleos vegetais

Abstract

Bentonite is a permeable mineral of sedimentary origin, widely used as a conventional means for clarifying and whitening oils in general. In addition to other applications, such as in agriculture, sugar factories, fruit juices, beverages, acids, petroleum compounds, livestock, construction industry, bentonite is the material used in many countries as bleaching bodies in the treatment of a process liquid to remove suspended solids, dissolved metals and pigments; making corrections of any flaws in the previous process, such as in the preparation of raw material. This research work aims to verify the possibility of using local bentonite soils (Boane) for the production of adsorptive bodies for the bleaching process. For this purpose, three models of bodies for bleaching and their capacity were prepared in the laboratory The bleaching process was tested in the “Sunflower” vegetable oil clarification and bleaching process and compared with the results of the bleached oils in the Ginwala oil production industry (they use imported bleaching bodies). After the tests carried out, it was found that bentonite activated by 36% hydrochloric acid and with a treatment time of 12 hours responded with a satisfactory result of sunflower oil bleaching capacity of "92.695 ± 0.562%". With this work we intend to show the great possibility that Boane's bentonite has in the various industrial branches after being benefited from an activation process by acids. From a chemical, physical and technological point of view, Boane's bentonite is of an acceptable quality to be used for the production of bleaching bodies and other purposes. (TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)