Patent ID: 6013817
Filing Date: 2000-01-11
Classification: C07C,C11C

Abstract:
A process for the production of ethyl esters of fatty acids from a fatty acid glycerides starting substance selected from the group consisting of vegetable oil, animal oil, fat and or mixtures of glycerides, the process comprising the following stages: (a) transesterifying the fatty acid glyceride starting substance with hydrated ethyl alcohol at a temperature of 5 to 50.degree. C. using an alkaline catalyst to form a medium comprising ethyl esters and excess ethyl alcohol said hydrated ethyl alcohol having an ethyl alcohol content of 92 to 99% by weight and being in a proportion of 30-100% by weight with respect to the starting substance; (b) adding a glycerine phase to said medium, and evaporating the excess ethyl alcohol to produce two immiscible phases, an ester phase and a glycerine phase A, and recycling said excess ethyl alcohol to stage (a), said excess ethyl alcohol having an ethyl alcohol content at least equal to the alcohol content of the hydrated ethyl alcohol used in step (a); (c) separating said glycerine phase A and said ester phase to obtain the desired ethyl esters; (d) neutralizing said glycerine phase A with acid, and separating resultant ""fatty acids+esters"" phase and a glycerine phase B, and drying the latter phase; and (e) subjecting the ""fatty acids+esters"" phase to glycerolysis with at least a fraction of the dried glycerine phase B in the presence of an alkaline catalyst to form a mixture of glycerides and esters, and passing said mixture into transesterification stage (a).