Process for preparing alkyl esters of fatty acids from fats and oils

• US 6,288,251 B1
• Filed: 08/14/2000
• Issued: 09/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Greentech Solution Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lonford Development Limited
• Inventors: Tsuto, Keiichi, Liu, Guo-Tang
• Primary Examiner(s): Carr, Deborah D.
• Application Number:
  US09/555,941
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 554/169
• US Class Current: 554/169
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 67/03 by reacting an ester group with a hydroxy group
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 69/52 Esters of acyclic unsaturated carboxylic acids having the esterified carboxyl group bound to an acyclic carbon atom
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/02 essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C11C 3/003 by esterification of fatty acids with alcohols C11C3/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C11C 3/10 Ester interchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/54 using solvents, e.g. supercritical solvents or ionic liquids

Abstract

Provided is a process for producing a fatty acid alkylester through a transesterification of triglyceride contained in a fat and oil by causing the fat and oil and an alcohol to react with each other. In this process, the reaction is performed in an atmosphere in which the alcohol is in super-critical state in the absence of a metal alkali catalyst and an acid catalyst. This makes it possible to eliminate a pre-treatment process for esterifying free fatty acids contained in the fat and oil and, in addition, to eliminate or simplify recovering and refining processes of the reaction product by suppressing the by-production of a fatty acid soap.

Claims

1. A process for producing a fatty acid alkylester through a transesterification of triglyceride contained in a fat and oil by causing the fat and oil and an alcohol to react with each other, wherein the reaction between the fat and oil and the alcohol is performed in an atmosphere in which the alcohol is in a super-critical state in the absence of a metal alkali catalyst and an acid catalyst.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the fat and oil and the alcohol are passed continuously through a tube reactor to react with each other.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein a liquid hourly space velocity of triglyceride in the tube reactor is set to 2 to 240/hr.

4. The process according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the alcohol is a lower alcohol having 1 to 5 carbon atoms per molecule.