Process for reducing fatty acids and esters thereof

摘要

Fatty oils or wax esters (including sperm and like oils) or the corresponding fatty acids or other esters thereof are reduced to the corresponding alcohols by treatment with hydrogen and a hydrogenation catalyst such as nickel, cobalt, copper, iron, platinum, palladium or oxides thereof or zinc oxide with or without an acidic oxide such as silica, alumina, or an oxide of tungsten, chromium, molybdenum or vanadium, the reaction mixture being vigorously agitated and the hydrogen passed through rapidly to carry over the alcohols, Pressure may be employed for instance not more than 50 atmospheres. In the apparatus described hydrogen, admitted at 2 is circulated by a pump 1 through a preheater 3, reaction vessel 4 (containing an agitator) and pipe 5 to condenser 6 connected with a receiver 7 and thence to a second cooler 8 to remove water, and back to the pump. The condensates are removed continuously or intermittently by valved pipes 9, 10. In an example spermaceti is reduced in presence of a barium-copper chromite catalyst at 260--300 DEG C., the agitator being driven at about 1000 revs. per min. Specifications 397,938, 398,796, and 399,848 are referred to.ALSO: In apparatus for the catalytic reduction of fatty oils, acids and esters to the corresponding alcohols by means of hydrogen under pressure, hydrogen admitted at 2 is circulated by a pump 1 through a preheater 3 reaction vessel 4 (containing an agitator) and pipe 5 to a condenser 6 connected with a receiver 7 for the alcohol formed, and thence to a second cooler 8 to remove water, and back to the pump. The condensates are removed continuously or intermittently by valved pipes 9, 10. Specifications 397,938, 398,796, and 399,848 are referred to.