Performance of a Packed Column for Continuous Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Processing of Anhydrous Milk Fat

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Abstract
A continuous system was designed for the processing of anhydrous milk fat (AMF) with supercritical carbon dioxide (SC‐CO2). The packed column was operated as a stripping column with SC‐CO2 as the continuous phase and AMF as the dispersed phase. The extraction was studied at 24.1 MPa and 40 °C. To utilize the functional similarities and make the analysis simpler, the AMF triglycerides were grouped as low‐melting (LMT: C24–C34), medium‐melting (MMT: C36–C40), and high‐melting triglycerides (HMT: C42–C54). There was an increase in the concentrations of LMT and MMT and a decrease in that of HMT in the extract. The raffinate has a high concentration of HMT with trace amounts of LMT. The performance characteristics of the packed column were described by the number of transfer units (Nog), the overall volumetric mass transfer coefficient (KOGa), and the height of a transfer unit (HOG). The NOG and Kogci values decreased and the HOG value increased with increasing solvent‐to‐feed ratio. The HOG values increased and the NOG and KOGa values decreased from LMT to MMT to HMT, but the HOG values for HMT were greater than expected. The values of NOG, HOG, and KOGa for AMF (as a single component) were intermediate to those of MMT and HMT.