Deacidification and Decoloration (Jatropha curcas L.) using Membrane Microfiltration

Abstract

This study focused on the deacidification and decoloration of crude jatropha oil using microjiltration membrane. The experiment was conducted with hydraulic-pressed jatropha oil and polypropylene (PP) membrane hollow jiber with a molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) of 0.01 pm and a permeation area of 1 m1• Several tests were carried out to dejine the best performance (permeate flux. free fatty acid reduction and clarity) by studying the influence ofduration and frequency ofbackflush. Permeate flux was low but remained stable for a long period No long-term fouling appeared during the membrane processing. The permeate flux increased with transmembrane pressure. In addition. the backflush treatment can recover and increase permeate flux. The higher permeate flux of8.42 IIm2.h was obtained under duration and frequency ofbackflush of 6 seconds and 15 times, respectively. Furthermore, microjiltration membrane was found to have a positive effect on color reduction, but was not affective for deacidification.