Process design and simulation for extraction of milk fat using liquid propane

Scope and Method of Study: Numerous studies have been conducted to increase the utilization of milk by fractionating the fat. This work examines the use of liquid propane for extraction of lipids from bovine milk. Aspen Plus(TM), a commercial process simulator was used to model liquid-liquid extraction of milk fat. The design parameters were obtained based on sensitivity analyses carried out for each unit. The operating conditions were set to provide maximum extraction yield with maximum product purity and solvent recovery.;Findings and Conclusions: Propane is a feasible solvent for milk fat extraction at sub critical conditions. The process models show that 90 wt % lipid can be extracted from milk using liquid propane at ambient temperature. Pressure has no effect on the extraction process. Results of dehydration step indicate that 99.9 wt % water can be removed from milk using liquid propane Complete separation of lactose from milk fat cannot be achieved using propane. The procedure to model a liquid-liquid extraction process using Aspen Plus(TM) was explained in detail.