Patent ID: 7629478

Claim:
A process for producing a polyol monomer, the process comprising: (a) reacting at least one of the following: an unsaturated fatty acid with a polyhydric alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst to prepare an unsaturated monoglyceride; or a corresponding unsaturated triglyceride of the unsaturated fatty acid with a polyhydric alcohol in the presence of a basic catalyst and an emulsifier to prepare an unsaturated monoglyceride; (b) epoxidising the unsaturated monoglyceride of the unsaturated fatty acid or triglyceride; and (c) reacting the epoxidised monoglyceride with a polyhydric alcohol to obtain a polyol monomer based on the unsaturated fatty acid or triglyceride, wherein each of steps (a) through (c) are conducted at a temperature of between about 30° C. to about 180° C. and a pressure of between 0 mbar to about 1 bar for a duration of about 3 hours to about 5 hours.