Cognis IP Management Gmbh

Cognis Deutschland Gmbh & Co. Kg

Cognis France S.a.s.

Magnus Topphoff

Bernhard Gutsche

Wilhelm Johannisbauer

Erich Reuter

Jean Rigal

Harald Roessler

Harald Röβler

Stephan WÜRKERT

Gerrit Pelzer

Nicolas Biz

Harald RÖSSLER

The disclosed invention relates to a countercurrent process for the continuous esterification of C(fatty) acids with Cmonoalkanols, Cdi- or trialkanols or mixtures thereof in the liquid phase in the presence of heterogeneous catalysts in a preliminary reactor () and in a reaction column (), characterized in that the reaction column () is preceded by the preliminary reactor () and a separation unit () for the purpose of reducing the viscosity of the reaction mixture and removing the water of reaction from the system via a separation unit () to displace the reaction equilibrium before the reaction column (). A further aspect of the invention concerns feeding nitrogen in at the lowermost plate of the reaction column () in order to increase the vapor load in the lower part of the reaction column.

Method for producing linear or branched fatty acid esters by means of heterogeneously catalysed reactive rectification with an upstream reactor

Processes for separating supercritical or near-critical mixtures containing hydrogen, a solvent gas, methanol and a fatty alcohol under an initial pressure of from 100 to 300 bar are described, wherein the processes comprise: (a) reducing the pressure of such a mixture in a first stage to a pressure of from 50 to 150 bar to form a first recycle gas and a first partially-separated intermediate mixture, wherein the reduced pressure in the first stage is at least below the initial pressure; (b) reducing the pressure of the first partially-separated intermediate mixture in a second stage to a pressure of from 10 to 50 bar to form a second recycle gas and a second partially-separated intermediate mixture; and (c) reducing the pressure of the second partially-separated intermediate mixture in a third stage to a pressure of from 1 to 10 bar to form a third recycle gas and a fatty alcohol product.

Three stage processes for the separation of supercritical or near-critical mixtures

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Düsseldorf, Germany

Magnus Topphoff