Highly efficient removal of phospholipids in the degumming of crude rapeseed oil using APTES-modified silica...

A new adsorbent, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) modified silica achieves 98.7% of phospholipid removal and 92.3% of total phenol retention for degumming of crude rapeseed oil at 45 °C for 30 min with dosage of 1% wt. The key indicators of oil quality for APTES-SiO₂ degummed sample improved significantly, including peroxide value, acid value, color, and clarity. Moreover, E-nose and two-dimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis results revealed that APTES-SiO₂ degummed oil had little change of the flavor. FTIR results suggested no trace of APTES molecule residence in the degummed oil, which guaranteed the oil safety. Combined with the correlations of zeta potential, XPS results, and degumming performance, the adsorption mechanism revealed that the hydrophobic surface of APTES-SiO₂ adsorbent worked synergistically with protonated amino groups to promote dephosphorization rate. Our findings provided high interest for rational design and preparation of highly dispersed and efficient adsorbent for degumming of crude oil.