Process for dewaxing oils containing wax

Claim 1

A WAX FILTER PRESSING PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES ADDING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION, WHICH IS CAPABLE OF REMAINING IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE LIQUID STATE AT THE PRESSING TEMPERATURE, TO A WAX-OIL MIXTURE IN AN AMOUNT VARYING BETWEEN ABOUT 2.5% AND ABOUT 100%, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE WAX-OIL MIXTURE, TO PRODUCE AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION-WAX-OIL MIXTURE; TREATING SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION-WAX-OIL MIXTURE, IN THE PRESENCE OF A SURFACE ACTIVE AGENT THAT PRODUCES A FINITE THREEPHASE CONTACT ANGLE IN THE BUBBLE MACHINE TEST AT THE PRESSING TEMPERATURE, IN AMOUNTS OF AT LEAST ABOUT 0.1%, BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE WAX-OIL MIXTURE, BUT LESS THAN THE AMOUNT NECESSARY TO PROMOTE FORMATION OF A WAX-OIL MIXTUREIN-AQUEOUS SOLUTION EMULSION IN WHICH THE AQUEOUS SOLUTION IS THE CONTINUOUS PHASE, TO PRODUCE A DISPERSION IN WHICH THE AQUEOUS SOLUTION IS THE DISPERSED PHASE AND THE WAX-OIL MIXTURE IS THE CONTINUOUS PHASE, AND TO ASSOCIATE WAX WITH SAID DISPERSED PHASE, THEREBY PRODUCING A DISPERSED WAX-AQUEOUS SOLUTION PHASE, SAID DISPERSION BEING MAINTAINED AT THE DE-WAXING TEMPERATURE, WHEREBY WAX IS PRESENT IN THE SOLID STATE; AND SUBJECTING SAID DISPERSION TO A WAX FILTER PRESSING OPERATION.