Transesterification process

摘要

The present invention pertains to a process for making an alkyl ester of a carboxylic acid via transesterification comprising the steps of: (1) reacting a carboxylic acid ester with an alcohol and an effective amount of a transesterification catalyst in a reaction zone to form a reaction mixture comprised of a product ester and a product alcohol; (2) passing the reaction mixture from step (1) through a centrifugal separation zone wherein the second alcohol is separated from the second ester. The process according to the invention allows for shorter reaction times and improved product yields.