Oil recovery aid
View Patent ↗Compositions for increasing corn oil recovery and embodiments of methods for using the composition for corn oil separation are described. The composition(s) incorporate an admixture that includes a polymer selected from a polyglycol ester, a polyethyleneoxide-polypropyleneoxide block copolymer, a poloxamine, or a mixture thereof. The methods include admixing the compositions with a process stream for, for example, the extraction of oil from milled corn and residues from a fermentation step, including stillage (e.g., thin stillage or mid stillage), distiller's wet grain, distiller's dry grain and distiller's dry grains with solubles.
1. A recovery aid, consisting of:
a polyethyleneoxide-polypropyleneoxide block copolymer or a plurality thereof; an additive selected from a nucleant, a salt, and a mixture thereof; and a viscosity modifier, wherein the viscosity modifier is selected from water, glycerol, propylene glycol, a non-esterified glycolate homopolymer, or a mixture thereof.
2. The recovery aid of claim 1 , wherein the recovery aid provides an Oil Separation Rating of at least 2.
3. The recovery aid of claim 1 , wherein the additive is a nucleant or a mixture of the nucleant and the salt; and wherein the nucleant is a silicate, an aluminate, a titanate, a zincate, or a mixture thereof.
4. The recovery aid of claim 3 , wherein the nucleant is a silicate.
5. A recovery aid of claim 1 ,
wherein the viscosity modifier is included in an amount ranging from 1 wt. % to about 80 wt. % of the recovery aid.
6. The recovery aid of claim 5 , wherein the viscosity modifier is water, glycerol, propylene glycol, a non-esterified glycolate homopolymer, or a mixture thereof.
7. The recovery aid of claim 1 , wherein the polyethyleneoxide-polypropyleneoxide block copolymer is a diblock polymer, a triblock polymer, or a mixture thereof.
8. A recovery aid consisting of:
a poloxamine, a plurality thereof, or a mixture of at least one poloxamine and one polyethyleneoxide-polypropyleneoxide block copolymer; an additive selected from a nucleant, a salt, and a mixture thereof; and a viscosity modifier, wherein the viscosity modifier is selected from water, glycerol, propylene glycol, a non-esterified glycolate homopolymer, or a mixture thereof.
9. A recovery aid that comprises:
75 wt. % to 95 wt. % of a polyethyleneoxide-polypropyleneoxide block copolymer or a plurality thereof;
the recovery aid further comprising 0.5 wt. % to 10 wt. % of a nucleant, wherein the nucleant is a silicate; and
a viscosity modifier selected from water, glycerol, propylene glycol, a non-esterified glycolate homopolymer, or a mixture thereof.
10. The recovery aid of claim 9 , further comprising 0.5 wt. % to 10 wt. % of a salt.
11. The recovery aid of claim 10 , wherein the recovery aid consists essentially of the polyethyleneoxide-polypropyleneoxide block copolymer, the nucleant, the salt, and the viscosity modifier.
12. The recovery aid of claim 9 , wherein the viscosity modifier is present in an amount ranging from 1 wt. % to about 50 wt. % of the recovery aid.
13. The recovery aid of claim 9 , wherein the recovery aid composition provides an Oil Separation Rating of at least 2.
14. The recovery aid of claim 1 , wherein the viscosity modifier is included in an amount ranging from 1 wt. % to about 25 wt. % of the recovery aid.
15. The recovery aid of claim 4 , wherein the silicate is precipitated silica, hydrophobic silica, mineral silicates, or a mixture thereof.