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VANASPATI PLANT
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WHAT IS VANASAPTI?
Everyone knows oils and fats as an ingredient of daily food or perhaps as a raw material or soap making. But only a few people know them as a group of organic compounds called 'Fatty Acids'. Fatty Acids, in their turn, are formed by union of several carbon atoms in a straight chain with hydrogen and oxygen atoms. A single chain may contain anywhere from 6 to 24 carbon atoms, but the common one are 12, 14, 16, 18 and 20 carbon chains. A fatty acid is said to be saturated when all the carbon atoms are combined with hydrogen to their full capacity.
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They are said to be unsaturated when the addition of hydrogen. Higher the unsaturation, lower is the melting point of fatty acid. As such, many oils containing large amounts of unsaturated fatty acids in chemical combination, remain as liquids at normal temperature. Those which contain lesser amounts of unsaturated acids exist as solid or semi-solid fats at normal temperatures. A liquid oil can be converted to a required degree of hardness by reducing its unsaturation by controlled reaction with hydrogen. Vanaspati is a product obtained by such controlled hydrogenation of edible liquid oils (called `soft oils' in the Industry), so that its hardness consistency and grainy appearance resemble natural Ghee. The addition of hydrogen to an oil occurs when the hydrogen gas is brought into contact with the oil at higher temperatures in the presence of metallic Nickel Catalyst prepared under controlled conditions. In practice, however, the process is not as simple. Several steps are involved in the process as described in succeeding paragraphs. |
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HYDROGEN GAS GENERATION :
Hydrogen gas required for the hydrogenation reaction is obtained by the electrolysis of water. When high electric current is passed through water it electrolyses, so that Hydrogen and Oxygen are produced. The hydrogen gas is washed free from impurities and collected in a low pressure gas holder. It is then compressed into high pressure storage cylinders from where it is drawn for use in the processing plant. |
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