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Natural Detergent

The natural detergent alcohols process takes naturally derived fatty acids and produces fatty alcohols through a multi-step process. Fatty acids are first esterified with methanol to produce methyl esters using a proprietary reactive distillation system. The methyl esters are then hydrogenated to produce fatty alcohols. The process is highly efficient with minimal byproducts and has been licensed to multiple companies with a total installed capacity of 430,000 tons per year of alcohols produced. The alcohols produced are used in detergents, soaps and shampoos.

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235 views4 pages

Natural Detergent

The natural detergent alcohols process takes naturally derived fatty acids and produces fatty alcohols through a multi-step process. Fatty acids are first esterified with methanol to produce methyl esters using a proprietary reactive distillation system. The methyl esters are then hydrogenated to produce fatty alcohols. The process is highly efficient with minimal byproducts and has been licensed to multiple companies with a total installed capacity of 430,000 tons per year of alcohols produced. The alcohols produced are used in detergents, soaps and shampoos.

Uploaded by

hri234
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Natural Detergent Alcohols

Natural Detergent Alcohols


Our Natural Detergent Alcohol (NDA) process takes naturally derived fatty acids and produces fatty alcohols from intermediate methyl esters. The methyl fatty esters can be obtained by methanolysis (trans-esterification) of the natural oil with methanol or derived by the esterification of the fatty acid. We use a proprietary solid esterification catalyst contained within a novel reactive distillation column to convert the fatty acid to the methyl fatty ester intermediate. Our NDA process has been licensed to 6 companies for the production of various combinations of different chain lengths of alcohol, including light C8/C10, mid cut C12/C14 and long chain C16/C18 with production capacities ranging from 30 to 120 thousand tons per annum. Our licensed plants now account for 430,000 MTPA of natural fatty alcohol capacity representing nearly 20% of the total world fatty alcohol (synthetic and natural) demand.

The Process
A schematic flowsheet of the natural detergent alcohols process is shown below. Fatty acids (typically C12 to C16 acids) derived from palm kernel or coconut oils are first esterified with methanol to give their equivalent methyl esters. The process is extremely efficient and simple to operate and the resulting esters can be fed directly to hydrogenation without further handling. This low pressure, vapour phase, fixed bed hydrogenation technology converts the methyl fatty ester to fatty alcohol. Vapour phase reactions are intrinsically an ideal reaction system and generate few by-products thus yielding very high process efficiency in conjunction with high product quality. Crude product is refined to give market quality products, whilst recovered methanol, intermediates and by-products are recycled for re-use in the process or used as fuel.

Methanol

Hydrogen

Intermediate Recycle Refining Detergent Alcohols Product

Fatty Acids

Esterification

Ester Hydrogenation Methanol Recycle

Water

Process Advantages and Options


The use of methyl esters is the most widely practiced route to convert fatty acids to alcohols. The Davy reactive distillation system eliminates many problems associated with traditional esterification processes and minimises recycle of high value fatty alcohol. There are no reaction by-products and no catalyst removal or neutralisation requirements, so esters can be fed directly to hydrogenation without a processing loss. Due to relatively mild vapour phase hydrogenation conditions with a highly selective and active non-chromium catalyst, and a proprietary design of the reaction system, the process is highly efficient with very little by-product formation. This natural detergent alcohol process has virtually no effluents. Small by-product streams are recycled and consumed within the plant using catalysts that are reprocessed, thereby protecting the local environment. Our NDA process can be used to process short chain (C8, C10), medium chain (C12, C14) and long chain (C16, C18) fatty acids to their equivalent alcohols. We are also able to offer a number of process technologies for the hardening of fats and oils.

This vapour phase process has been licensed around the world with a total installed capacity of 430,000 tonnes per year of alcohols.
Product Uses
Traditionally, the balance between natural and synthetic options for fatty alcohols production has been in the region of 60/40 to 40/60, swaying over the years on the basic commodity costs of the raw natural oils and the ethylene feed costs respectively. As crude oil prices are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future, coupled with increasing availability of natural oil, oleochemical companies have seized the current opportunity to add value by investing in new natural fatty alcohol capacity - all of which will use our cost effective process. Detergent alcohols produced with the Davy Process Technology NDA process are used by the detergent industry as ethoxolates and sulphonates to produce laundry products, detergents and shampoos.

For further details please contact:

Andy Hiles Davy Process Technology 20 Eastbourne Terrace London W2 6LE UK Tel: Fax: Mail: Web: +44 (0)20 7957 3636 +44 (0)20 7957 3922 [email protected] www.davyprotech.com

Davy Process Technology is a Johnson Matthey company.

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