natural detergent
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Natural Detergent Alcohols
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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.
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 anideal 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.
Natural Detergent Alcohols
The Process
Water
FattyAcids
Methanol
Recycle
Deter gentAlcoholsProduct
Methanol Hydrogen Intermediate
Recycle
EsterificationEster
Hydrogenation Refining
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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.
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.
Process Advantages and Options
Product Uses
‘This vapour phase process has been
licensed around the world with a total
installed capacity of 430,000
tonnes per year of alcohols’.
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For further details please contact:
Andy HilesDavy Process Technology20 Eastbourne TerraceLondon W2 6LE
UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7957 3636Fax: +44 (0)20 7957 3922Mail: [email protected]: www.davyprotech.com
Davy Process Technology is a Johnson Matthey company.