Patent ID: 8802876

Claim:
A process for producing fatty acids comprising contacting a fatty acid glycerides of vegetable or natural oil or animal fat with water in presence of solid acid catalyst, characterized in that the solid acid catalyst is selected from double metal cyanide complex or a supported group VIb transition metal oxide and the said process comprising the steps of: a. contacting one or more fatty acid glycerides of vegetable or natural oil and animal fat origin with water in the presence of a solid acid catalyst wherein the oil/fat to water molar ratio is in the range of 1:5 to 1:40 and catalyst in the range of 3-10 wt % of oil/fat; b. subjecting the reaction mixture as obtained in step (a) at temperature in the range of 150 to 230° C. and pressure in the range of 1 to 6 M Pa to obtain fatty acid; c. separating fatty acids as obtained in step (b) from the reaction mixture and by-product glycerol.