Vegetable oil processing has been identified as one of the potential nonaqueous applications of membrane technology. Membrane-based processing has been largely attempted on individual steps of the conventional refining process with reasonable success. With the advent of organic-solvent-nanofiltration, membrane desolventizing of hexane oil miscella has received greater attention, revitalizing the prospects of integrated membrane processing. A practical evaluation of membrane augmented desolventizing revealed that approximately 65% energy savings towards solvent evaporation could be achieved in an industrial environment. Further, a pragmatic appraisal advocated that an integrated membrane process with a focus on pretreatment and desolventizing along with physical refining would be a desirable approach for fortifying the benefits. The present review intends to channelize the efforts to overcome the current limitations and highlights the importance of developing better membranes, process evaluation under appropriate practical conditions, and developing suitable cleaning protocols for stable performance. In the case of alternate solvents to hexane, membrane solvent recovery would be a favorable approach to overcome the limitation of associated higher thermal energy requirements. Nevertheless, solvent selection should be based on a composite evaluation of extraction and membrane desolventizing, specific to the type of oil. Finally, a comprehensive process scheme has been proposed to realize the benefits in extraction-refining plants. In this direction, a few pilot demonstration plants need to be established and operated for 1-2 years to understand and overcome the practical difficulties and limitations of the technology, leading to its industrial adoption.
Waste disposal has become a serious concern in developing countries like India. The substitution of these waste materials in the form of stabilizing agents in soil stabilization is a modern approach by which waste materials can be advantageously used. In many instances, the soil has proven to be problematic for the construction of various infrastructures like embankments, pavements, foundations, hydraulic barriers, etc. In the present study, a particular type of soil is stabilized to improve the physical properties by using multiple admixtures. In general, additives such as lime, cement, sawdust, stone dust, and other compounds are used for the stabilization of soil over years. This study is conducted to evaluate the viability of using Coconut Coir Fibre (CC) along with stone dust (SD)/pond ash (PA) as a stabilization material. A comparative analysis on the effect of CC with SD as well CC with PA on engineering characteristics of silty soil is presented in the present study. A sequence of laboratory experiments was conducted on silty soil blended with Coconut Coir Fibre along with proportions of Stone Dust/Pond Ash from 0.5% to 1.5% and 30% as constant respectively by mass of dehydrated soil. The experimental outcomes shown a significant change in properties of soil, which conclude that the coconut coir along with stone dust as a very potential additive to improve the characteristics of silty soil compared to that of pond ash.
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