Process for producing fatty alcohols from fatty acids

摘要

In a process for the production of fatty alcohol(s) a fatty acid or fatty acid mixture is subjected to esterification with a lower alkanol to form a stream comprising the corresponding lower alkyl ester or esters. The stream is vaporized and subjected to hydrogenation to form a stream comprising fatty alcohol(s) and an amount of unconverted lower alkyl ester(s). This stream is subjected to transesterification in a wax ester reactor in the presence of a solid transesterification catalyst. Fatty alcohol(s) and wax ester(s) are then separated by distillation to yield a fatty alcohol(s) product and a stream comprising wax ester(s). The stream of wax ester(s) is passed to a second hydrogenation zone to effect hydrogenation in the liquid phase to revert the wax ester(s) to fatty alcohol(s), which are returned to the distillation separation step.

主权项

1. A process for the production of fatty alcohol or alcohols comprising:
(a) subjecting a fatty acid or fatty acid mixture to esterification with a lower alkanol in an esterification reactor maintained under esterification conditions to form a stream comprising the corresponding lower alkyl ester or esters; (b) vaporizing the stream from step (a); (c) subjecting the vaporized stream of step (b) to hydrogenation in a first hydrogenation zone operated under hydrogenation conditions to form a stream comprising fatty alcohol or alcohols and an amount of unconverted lower alkyl ester or esters; (d) subjecting the stream from step (c) to transesterification in a wax ester reactor maintained under transesterification conditions in the presence of a solid transesterification catalyst thereby to convert at least a portion of the lower alkyl fatty acid ester by ester interchange with a corresponding amount of fatty alcohol or alcohols to lower alkanol and to a wax ester or esters derived from a fatty alcohol and a fatty acid; (e) separating fatty alcohol or fatty alcohols and wax ester or wax esters of step (d) by distillation to yield a fatty alcohol or alcohols product and a stream comprising wax ester or esters; (f) passing said stream comprising wax ester or esters to a second hydrogenation zone operating under conditions to effect hydrogenation in the liquid phase to revert the wax ester or esters to fatty alcohol or alcohols; and (g) returning the fatty alcohol or alcohols to the separation step (e).