INFORM April 2026

SUPPORTED CONTENT

SBO Impurities after One-Pass through Enzymatic Fiber Reactor with Acidic Pretreatment

(c)

(d)

BCI vs % FFA after Neutralization

Measured BCI

% FFA in Butter

(c) Removal of metal impurities from SBO following two-passes through PLA1 enzymatic column.

(d) Cocoa butter BCI improvement as FFA content modified with low temperature VFT process

When combined with microfluidic phase contact, reaction rates are governed primarily by intrinsic enzyme activity rather than mass transfer limitations. Degumming is a critical pretreatment step for edible oils and renewable fuel feedstocks. Phospholipids contribute to oil instability, fouling, and catalyst poisoning. Conventional water or acid degumming often struggles to achieve low residual phosphorus levels without significant oil loss. Immobilized phospholipases (PLA1, PLA2, and PLC) catalyze rapid hydrolysis of phospholipids into water-soluble products (b) . In crude soybean oil trials, phosphorus levels dropped over 99% within 1 to 2 minutes of contact time, producing oil suitable for hydrotreating (c) . Hydrolyzed phospholipids preferentially partition into the aqueous phase, minimizing oil loss relative to clay-based processes. WATER WASHING OF RENEWABLE FEEDSTOCKS Distillers corn oil (DCO) and used cooking oil (UCO) often contain soaps, soluble metals, FFA, and oxidative byproducts that reduce yield, foul equipment, and shorten catalyst life. Using controlled interfacial contact in the Fiber Reactor, these contaminants are removed efficiently without creating the stable emulsions typical of conventional washing, achieving over 99% metal removal while improving feed quality and extending catalyst longevity. The Fiber Reactor enables efficient washing through controlled oil–water interfaces without bulk emulsification.

challenges for impurity removal prior to solvent recovery. The Fiber Reactor enables controlled introduction of aqueous microphases into miscella, allowing immobilized phospholipases to hydrolyze phospholipids directly at the oil–water interface. Water-soluble products partition into the aqueous phase without requiring hexane removal, reducing bleaching demand and energy consumption. CONCLUSIONS Massive microfluidic enzyme reactors enable industrial scale enzymatic catalysis by eliminating mass transfer constraints and allowing enzyme reuse. The Fiber Reactor supports mild, efficient reactions while minimizing emulsions and product loss. Its versatility, from degumming and washing to FFA remediation and miscellas processing, offers edible oils, specialty fats, and renewable fuel processors a scalable path towards sustainable, next generation refining. Applications in degumming, water washing, FFA remediation, miscella processing, and feedstock upgrading demonstrate versatility across edible oils, specialty fats, and renewable fuel feedstocks. As processors respond to sustainability goals and feedstock variability, reactor platforms combining precise interfacial control with immobilized biocatalysts will play an increasingly important role in next generation refining strategies. For more information Visionary Fiber Technologies info@visionaryfiber.com visionaryfiber.com

High interfacial area and short diffusion distances promote rapid contaminant transfer. Greater than 99% removal of sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium has been achieved, along with substantial soap reduction. Improved phase disengagement results in more consistent feed quality and extended catalyst life. SPECIALTY FATS AND TAG RECOVERY The controlled, low shear microscale interfaces within the Fiber Reactor enable FFA remediation without the high thermal or mechanical stress associated with conventional refining methods. High-value specialty fats such as cocoa butter are sensitive to harsh processing conditions and prone to emulsion formation. Physical refining used to remove FFAs requires high temperatures that can damage triacylglycerol (TAG) structure and degrade crystallization properties. Processing cocoa butter in Fiber Reactors has demonstrated effective FFA remediation under milder conditions while improving crystallization behavior (d) . In addition, immobilized lipases can convert recovered FFA streams into TAG-rich material, reducing neutral oil losses and recovering value typically lost during refining. PROCESSING MISCELLA STREAMS Miscella streams, such as vegetable oils dissolved in hexane, present