Davy Process Technology Limited

Johnson Matthey Davy Technologies Limited

Rickard Umberto Andersson

Robert Wild

In a process for producing fatty acid esters, a fatty acid or fatty acid mixture is subjected to esterification with a lower alkanol in an esterification reactor maintained under esterification conditions to form a stream comprising the corresponding lower alkyl ester(s). An overhead stream comprising unreacted lower alkanol, water and a heavy organic content of one or more of lower alkyl ester and/or acids is recovered from the reactor. The overhead stream is subjected to distillation in a first distillation column to separate a portion of the lower alkanol from a stream comprising the water, the remaining lower alkanol and the heavy organic content. This stream is recovered and subjected to distillation in a second distillation column to provide an overhead stream comprising lower alkanol and at least a major portion of the heavy organic content and a water stream having a reduced heavy organic and alkanol content.

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London, United Kingdom

Rickard Umberto Andersson