Commercialization of hydrothermal cleanup (HCU) pretreat

Abstract: Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) developed the Hydrothermal Cleanup (HCU) Pretreat process as an alternative to conventional pretreat processes for removal of contaminants for fat, oil, and grease feedstocks. HCU is a single-step, continuous-flow process that has a residence time of less than two minutes. HCU Pretreat does not use bleaching clay, and product yields exceed 99.5%. Water is the only effluent stream. HCU Pretreat hydrolyzes phospholipids to water-soluble salts and reduces residual phosphorus content from hundreds of ppm to less than 2 ppm. Because phospholipids are hydrolyzed, fatty acids are retained, and product yield is maximized. No waste gums or solids are produced. Metals that are present, mostly in the form of soaps of fatty acids, are simultaneously reduced from hundreds of ppm to less than 10 ppm total.

The first HCU Pretreat unit is scheduled to be commissioned in April 2023. Two additional HCU Pretreat units are under construction and are scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2023. The total treatment capacity of all three units is over 900 million gallons per year. Two additional licensees are in detailed engineering. A status update of the HCU Pretreat process and commercialization activities will be presented.