| 摘要 |
A process for the production of fatty acid esters comprises: subjecting a fatty acid or fatty acid mixture to esterification with a lower alkanol in an esterification reactor 12 maintained under esterification conditions to form a stream 13 comprising the corresponding lower alkyl ester or esters and recovering same; recovering an overhead stream 14 from the esterification reactor comprising unreacted lower alkanol, water, and a heavy organic content comprising one or more of lower alkyl ester and/or acids; subjecting the recovered overhead stream 14 to distillation in a first distillation column 15 operating under first distillation conditions to separate a portion of the lower alkanol 18 from a stream 20 comprising the water, the remaining lower alkanol and the heavy organic content; recovering the stream 20 comprising the water, the remaining lower alkanol and the heavy organic content; and subjecting the stream 20 comprising the water, the remaining lower alkanol and the heavy organic content to distillation in a second distillation column 21 operating under second distillation conditions to provide an overhead stream 22 comprising lower alkanol and at least a major portion of the heavy organic content and a water stream 23 having a reduced heavy organic and alkanol content. |
