Fatty alcohol sepn. from mixts. with catalyst - by treating with aq. surfactant soln. to transfer wetted catalyst to aq. phase

摘要

Fatty alcohols are sepd. from fatty alcohol-catalyst mixts. by treating the mixts., at a temp. above fatty alcohol m.pt., with an aq. soln. of tensides. The catalyst is wetted with the aq. soln. and is transferred to the aq. phase. The aq. phase is then sepd. from the non-aq. phase and both phases are worked up. Tenside concn. in the aq. soln. is adjusted to less than 3%. Wt. ratio aq. soln. to fatty alcohol-catalyst mixt. is below 3 : 1. The aq. soln. of tensides is recycled entirely or partly. The catalyst is pref. removed entirely or partly, before sepg. the aq. from the non-aq. phase. The sepd. catalyst is washed with water and the washing water is recycled for the renewed sepn. of fatty alcohol from fatty alcohol-catalyst mixts. Fatty alcohol yield is increased in fatty alcohol synthesis by fatty acid or ester hydrogenation. The spent catalyst can be worked up. The consumption of energy and chemicals is low, whereby the process is economical even when catalyst consumption is less than 0.5 % w.r.t. fatty alcohol.