GB818393A - Improvements in or relating to the manufacture of fatty esters - Google Patents

Abstract

Glycerol is obtained when glyceride oils, such as coconut, castor, and sperm oil, are reacted with primary alcohols such as methanol and butanol in the presence of barium oxide. The reaction mixture forms two layers, the lower of which is glycerol. The glycerol so obtained may contain barium soap, barium hydroxide, and barium carbonate impurities; these may be removed either by passing carbon dioxide into the glycerol or by adding a quantitative amount of sulphuric acid, and filtering off the insoluble barium carbonate or sulphate formed. The product may then be further purified by ion-exchange processes. Specifications 587,530, 587,532 and 587,533 are referred to.ALSO:Fatty acid esters of primary alcohols are produced from glyceride oils by reacting in the presence of barium oxide a glyceride oil with a primary alcohol to form a primary alcohol fatty acid ester, glycerol and barium soaps, and separating the glycerol and barium soaps from the ester, the whole or a major part of the barium soaps being removed from the ester by filtration. Any excess primary alcohol present in the mixture may be removed before the filtration. Preferably the glyceride oil and primary alcohol are reacted in the presence of barium oxide at a temperature of 70 DEG to 85 DEG C. The glycerol which forms the lower layer is drawn off. The upper layer is allowed to cool and the barium soap is filtered off. In the examples: (a) coconut oil, anhydrous methanol and barium oxide are stirred at 75 DEG C., the glycerol formed is drawn off, the mixture is cooled and the barium soap is filtered off; if desired excess methanol may be removed by stripping prior to the filtration stage; (b) castor oil is treated at 80 DEG C. with n-butanol in the presence of barium oxide; the glycerol is separated, the butanol is stripped off and the castor oil butyl esters are filtered from the barium soaps; and (c) sperm oil is treated with methanol in the presence of barium oxide to give a mixture of higher fatty acid methyl esters and cetyl, stearyl and oleyl alcohol. Specifications 587,530, 587,532 and 587,533, [all in Group IV], are referred to.