Henkel Corporation

Carl E Pickens

Patrick M McCurry, Jr

Janet R Varvil

Michael W Gibson

Brian A Michel

An improvement in the process of preparation of an alkylpolyglycoside containing a long chain alkyl group of about 10 carbon atoms or more by reaction of a saccharide and a long chain alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst, particularly an improvement in the process to inhibit or minimize condenser fouling during the processing either in the removal of water from the reactor to promote completion of the reaction or in subsequent processing of the reaction product stream wherein the stream is heated at elevated temperatures and vacuum to remove excess alcohol and residual water, or water introduced into the process stream by steam ejectors in an evaporator, after leaving the reactor. The improvement includes the addition of an alcohol having a carbon chain of a number less than the carbon chain of the alkyl group of the alkylpolyglycoside product either along with the reactant alcohol to produce the polyglycoside, or to the product stream at evaporation of the excess alcohol and residual water.

Production of alkylpolyglycosides

A process has been discovered for making alkyl polyglycoside which comprises reacting a fatty alcohol having from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms with a sugar, in the presence of an acid catalyst, to form a product of alkyl polyglycoside and excess fatty alcohol. The molar ratio of fatty alcohol to sugar, respectively, is at least 2:1. The excess fatty alcohol is then separated from the alkyl polyglycoside product. Once separated, the excess fatty alcohol is then reacted with a source of boric acid to form a mixture comprised of one or more borate esters of the fatty alcohol and inert compounds. The non-hydroxylic compounds are then separated from the borate esters. The substantially pure fatty alcohol is then returned to the beginning of the process for use in the formation of alkyl polyglycoside.

Process for making alkyl polyglycosides

An improved process for preparing an alkylpolyglycoside wherein the alkyl group contains about 8 to about 20 carbon atoms, prepared by reacting a saccharide and an alcohol in the presence of an acid catalyst, and subsequently removing excess unreacted alcohol, the improvement comprising adding to the reaction product an oxide, such as MgO, and removing the excess unreacted alcohol by thin film evaporation under vacuum at temperatures up to about 240.degree. C. under sparging or non-sparging condition with an inert gas.

Process for the production of alkylpolyglycoside

A process for preparing aliphatic polysaccharides in which a slurry of a hydrous saccharide source in a first portion of aliphatic alcohol is introduced into a second portion of the aliphatic alcohol maintained at an elevated temperature and under a reduced pressure to form a mixture of saccharide source and alcohol with a reduced water content, introducing an acid catalyst into the mixture with the reduced water content and reacting the aliphatic alcohol with the saccharide source to form an aliphatic glycoside.

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Fairfield, OH, United States of America

Carl E Pickens