Patent ID: 7084099

Claim:
A method for processing a contaminant-containing lipophilic fluid comprising the steps of: a. adding an aqueous solution of a hydrotrope to the lipophilic fluid wherein the lipophilic fluid is a linear or cyclic polysiloxane: b. contacting a water absorbing agent with the lipophilic fluid; and c. contacting an adsorbent agent with the lipophilic fluid; d. optionally, condensing and/or coalescing the filtrate produced by each step to produce a condensate comprising water and the lipophilic fluid; e. optionally, separating the lipophilic fluid and water of the condensate; f. optionally, collecting the water; g. optionally, using the lipophilic fluid for a lipophilic fluid process; h. optionally, contacting a porous agent with the lipophilic fluid; wherein the adsorbent agent comprises a polar agent selected from the group consisting of silica, diatomaceous earth, aluminosilicates, polyamide resins, alumina, zeolites and mixtures thereof; wherein the hydrotrope is selected from the group consisting of sodium cumene sulfonate; calcium cumene sulfonate; potassium naphthalenesulfonate; two polar groups separated from each other by at least 5 aliphatic carbon atoms, the polar groups are hydroxyl or carboxyl; non-vicinal C 4 –C 8 straight or branched chain alkylene glycols; mono-, di-, tri-, or tetra-C 2 –C 3 alkylene glycol mono C 2 –C 6 alkyl ethers; low molecular weight polyethylene glycols having molecular weight of at least about 150; methyl esters; and mixtures thereof.