Process for the production of fatty alcohols

US6683224B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Cognis Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG · DE

Inventors

• Roland Hourticolon · Leichlingen, DE
• Guenther Demmering · Solingen, DE
• Hans-Peter Kubersky
• Lothar Friesenhagen · Düsseldorf, DE
• Friedrich Hommers · Goldkronach, DE
• Juergen Latzel · Wuppertal, DE
• Eberhard Peukert · Hilden, DE
• Hans-Guenther Richard · Goldkronach, DE
• Udo Kreutzer · Monheim, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 26, 2002
• Grant date: Jan 27, 2004
• Expiry date: Nov 26, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC C): Chemistry; Metallurgy
• CPC primary: C07C29/149
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

Naturally occurring fats, oils and fatty derivatives are continuously hydrogenated to fatty alcohols in a fixed-bed reactor in the presence of hydrogen in excess and hydrogenation catalysts under static pressures of 50 to 300 bar and at temperatures of 160 to 320° C. The liquid product is cooled and the excess hydrogen is returned to the reactor entrance by a gas circulation pump as a recycle gas after separation of the liquid product. The expense involved in cooling and reheating the recycle gas is eliminated without any reduction in the quality of the fatty alcohol produced providing the recycle gas is returned to the reactor entrance without reheating and the hydrogenation reaction is carried out under static pressures of at least 200 bar.