Process for producing esters of fatty substances and the high purity esters produced
US6147196A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 17, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 14, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 17, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E50/10
- WIPO fieldOrganic fine chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
In order to produce a composition of esters of linear monocarboxylic acids containing 6 to 26 carbon atoms and glycerine simultaneously with high degrees of purity, the following is carried out: a step a) in which a plant or animal oil, which may or may not be acidic, is reacted with an excess of at least one aliphatic mono-alcohol containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst, eliminating the excess mono-alcohol and separating out glycerine, this step producing a crude ester containing residual mono-glycerides; a step b) in which the crude ester obtained undergoes transesterification or esterification of the residual mono-glycerides to di- and tri-glycerides, in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst; and a step c) in which the ester composition is evaporated under reduced pressure, recycling the evaporation residue to the starting oil of step a). The ester compositions obtained, which are of high purity, are of particular use as gas oil substitutes.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.