Just trying to get a clear understanding of the gums that occur in cooking oil, which are sometimes removed during refining (not always). If some of these pass into the waste oil that we process, does it make any difference and does it convert in bio, separate with the glyc or is it removed through the different processes for washing fuel.
With regards to the chemical nature of these gums I found this article:
http://lipidlibrary.aocs.org/processing/degum-intro/index.htm Which says, in part:
"The chemical nature of these gums has been difficult to determine. They contain nitrogen and sugar and can start fermenting so they were at one stage thought to consist of glycolipids and proteins. Now we know that these gums consist mainly of phosphatides but also contain entrained oil and meal particles. They are formed when the oil absorbs water that causes some of the phosphatides to become hydrated and thereby oil-insoluble. Accordingly, hydrating the gums and removing the hydrated gums from the oil before storing the oil can prevent the formation of a gum deposit. This treatment is called water degumming."
Is the sticky glaze that can be found on tanks evidence of gumming?
