ESTERIFICATION METHOD FOR FREE FATTY ACID IN TRIGLYCERIDE

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an esterification method for a free fatty acid in a triglyceride using methanol.

SOLUTION: The esterification method for the free fatty acid using methanol includes (a) a step of contacting a heterogeneous esterification catalyst with a reaction mixture: containing (1) methanol and (2) a triglyceride mixture containing 70-99.8 wt.% of the triglyceride and 0.2-30 wt.% of the free fatty acid under conditions suitable for esterification in a reactor to generate a product flow; (b) a step of separating water and methanol from the product flow to generate a dried product flow; (c) a step of contacting the dried product flow with methanol to generate a methanol enriched phase and a triglyceride enriched phase; and (d) a step of separating the methanol enriched phase to recycle it into the reactor.

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