Method for producing linear or branched fatty acid esters by means of heterogeneously catalysed reactive rectification with an upstream reactor

US7579493B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Cognis IP Management GmbH · DE

Inventors

• Bernhard Gutsche · Hilden, DE
• Magnus Topphoff · Hilden, DE
• Harald Röβler · Mülheim an der Ruhr, DE
• Erich Reuter · Mülheim an der Ruhr, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 2, 2003
• Grant date: Aug 25, 2009
• Expiry date: Oct 25, 2024

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02P20/10
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

The disclosed invention relates to a countercurrent process for the continuous esterification of C1-22 (fatty) acids with C1-10 monoalkanols, C2-5 di- or trialkanols or mixtures thereof in the liquid phase in the presence of heterogeneous catalysts in a preliminary reactor (1) and in a reaction column (3), characterized in that the reaction column (3) is preceded by the preliminary reactor (1) and a separation unit (2) for the purpose of reducing the viscosity of the reaction mixture and removing the water of reaction from the system via a separation unit (2) to displace the reaction equilibrium before the reaction column (3). A further aspect of the invention concerns feeding nitrogen in at the lowermost plate of the reaction column (3) in order to increase the vapor load in the lower part of the reaction column.