Kao Corporation

Hiroyuki Tamura

Yasuyuki Hattori

Kiyoshi Tsukada

Osamu Tabata

Kunizo Hashiba

Akira Yamamuro

Yoshinori Mitsuda

Noriaki Fukuoka

Hideo Tahara

Hidetoshi Kadowaki

A process for producing an unsaturated alcohol wherein the catalytic activity and the capability of maintaining double bond are sustained for a long time and side-reactions are suppressed. An unsaturated alcohol is obtained by hydrogenating an alkyl or alkenyl ester of an unsaturated fatty acid or a triglyceride having a long-chain aliphatic unsaturated hydrocarbon group in the presence of a catalytic composition which is a composite metal oxide consisting of (a) zinc oxide and (b) oxide(s) of at least one metal selected from the group consisting of the elements of the group 3A in the periodic table and having a weight ratio of (a)/(b) of from 1/0.01 to 1/1.2.

Process for producing unsaturated alcohol

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

A process for producing desulfurized fats and oils or fatty acid esters is disclosed, which comprises treating fats and oils or fatty acid esters under hydrogen or a mixture of hydrogen and an inert gas atmosphere at a pressure of from 0.1 to 500 kg/cm.sup.2 in the absolute pressure at a temperature of from 100.degree. to 350.degree. C. in the presence of a catalyst of the following formula (I):

A process for producing alcohols comprising catalytically reducing fats and oils or fatty acid esters with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst for ester reduction is disclosed, wherein the starting oils are first treated at a temperature of from 50.degree. to 200.degree. C. in hydrogen gas or a mixed gas of hydrogen and an inert gas in the presence of a nickel catalyst to yield a sulfur content at not more than 0.6 ppm an acid value (KOH mg/g) of not more than 2. By use of the thus purified starting oils, the catalyst for ester reduction exhibits a prolonged duration.

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Wakayama, Japan

Hiroyuki Tamura