Patent ID: 7872149

Claim:
A processes for making fatty acid esters from glyceride-containing feed containing free fatty acid and phosphorus-containing species comprising: a. transesterifying a pretreated glyceride feed with lower alkanol under transesterification conditions including the presence of base catalyst to provide a transesterification menstruum comprising a transesterification oil phase containing fatty acid ester and a transesterification glycerin phase containing unreacted lower alkanol and base catalyst; b. phase separating from said transesterification menstruum the transesterification oil phase and the transesterification glycerin phase; c. contacting at least a portion of the transesterification glycerin phase from step (b) with glyceride containing feed to provide menstruum comprising a pretreatment oil phase containing glycerides and a pretreatment glycerin phase, said contacting being for a time and at a temperature and in the presence of base catalyst sufficient to (i) react at least about 20 mass percent of the alkanol with glycerides to provide fatty acid ester, (ii) convert free fatty acids to soaps (iii) and convert phosphorus-containing species to phosphorus compounds soluble in glycerin; and d. phase separating the menstruum to provide a pretreated glyceride feed containing glyceride and lower alkanol and having a reduced concentration of free fatty acids and a reduced concentration of phosphorus-containing species, and a spent glycerin-containing phase containing soaps and phosphorus compounds and having a reduced concentration of alkanol.