Kao Corporation

Hidetoshi Kadowaki

Yasuyuki Hattori

Taku Mimura

Kiyoshi Tsukada

Futoshi Nishigaki

Hiroyuki Tamura

Kazuyuki Harima

Taku Mumura

The present invention relates to a method of producing a fatty acid ester, including treating a starting fatty acid ester with an adsorbent to adsorb sulfur contained in the starting fatty acid ester, the adsorbent containing at least one metal selected from Ni and Cu in an amount of 10 to 85 percent by weight as a metal oxide(s) thereof per all the adsorbent, having a pore volume having a pore diameter range from 20 to 200 nm within 0.15 to 1.0 mL/g and then a method of producing an alcohol, including hydrogenating a fatty acid ester obtained by the above shown method of producing a fatty acid ester.

Method of producing fatty acid ester

There is provided a process wherein a lower alkyl ester of a fatty acid derived from natural fats and oils and a lower alcohol containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms is produced in a lower sulfur content at lower costs without causing a reduction in yield and a deterioration in selectivity, as well as a process for producing an alcohol without reducing the activity of a catalyst. The process comprises the step of adsorption treatment of an ester with at least one adsorbent selected from clay and activated carbon. Further are provided a process for producing an ester which further comprises adsorption treatment with a hydrogenating decomposition-type adsorbent containing Ni and/or Cu, in hydrogen or a mixed gas atmosphere of hydrogen and an inert gas, and a process for producing an alcohol which comprises hydrogenation reaction with an ester produced by any one of these processes as the starting material.

Process for producing an ester

A process for producing desulfurized fats and oils or fatty acid esters, which are highly suitable as a starting material for producing alcohols via hydrogenation, at a high yield is disclosed. Desulfurized fats and oils or fatty acid esters are obtained by contacting fats and oils or fatty acid esters with a catalyst represented by the following formula (I) under a hydrogen atmosphere or a mixture of hydrogen with an inert gas:

Process for producing desulfurized fats and oils or fatty acid esters

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Wakayama, Japan

Hidetoshi Kadowaki