Trans esterification of triglycerides by means of plural metal catalyst

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR PREPARING MIXED TRIGLYCERIDE COMPOSITIONS WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY REACTING IN A REACTION ZONE A HIGHER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE CONTAINING HIGHER ACYL RADICALS HAVING EIGHT TO TWENTY-FOUR CARBONS ATOMS AND A LOWER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE CONTAINING LOWER ACYL RADICALS HAVING TWO TO FOUR CARBON ATOMS AT A MOLAR RATIO OF SAID LOWER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE TO SAID HIGHER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE RANGING FROM ABOUT 1/4 TO ABOUT 9/1, SAID REACTING BEING EFFECTED AT A TEMPERATURE HIGHER THAN 180* C. AND UP TO 260* C. IN THE PRESENCE OF A PLURAL METAL SOAP CATALYST COMPRISING AT LEAST TWO METALS IN SOAP FORM WHEREIN ONE OF SAID METALS IS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF ALKALI AND ALKALINE EARTH METALS AND ONE OF SAID METALS IS AN AMPHOTERIC METAL, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING REACTION MIXTURE FROM SAID REACTION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY SUBJECTING SAID WITHDRAWN REACTION MIXTURE TO THIN FILM VACUUM DISTILLATION EFFECTIVE TO SEPARATE THERE FROM SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE REMAINING PORTIONS OF SAID LOWER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE, CONTINUOUSLY RECYCLING THE SAID SEPARATED LOWER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE INTO SAID REACTION ZONE, CONTINUOUSLY SUBJECTING THE RESULTING DISTILLATION RESIDUE TO THIN FILM VACUUM DISTILLATION EFFECTIVE TO SEPARATE THEREFROM A COMPOSITION CONTAINING A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF A MIXED TRIGLYCERIDE CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE OF SAID HIGHER ACYL RADICALS AND AT LEAST ONE OF SAID LOWER ACYL RADICALS, CONTINUOUSLY RECYCLING THE RESULTING DISTILLATION RESIDUE INTO SAID REACTION ZONE, AND CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO SAID REACTION ZONE MAKE-UP MATERIALS OF SAID HIGHER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE AND SAID LOWER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE IN AMOUNTS SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL BY WEIGHT TO THE AMOUNT OF MIXED TRIGLYCERIDE COMPOSITIONS SEPARATED BY THE SECOND SAID DISTILLATION, THE SAID HIGHER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE AND SAID LOWER ACYLATED TRIGLYCERIDE MAKE-UP MATERIAL CINTAINING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL MOLAR PROPORTIONS OF SAID HIGHER ACYL RADICALS AND SAID LOWER ACYL RADICALS AS THE COMPOUNDS COMPRISING THE MIXED TRIGLYCERIDE COMPOSITION SEPARATED BY THE SECOND SAID DISTILLATION, SAID CATALYST REMAINING SUBSTANTIALLY UNDESTROYED THROUGHOUT SAID RTEACTING AND DISTILLATION STEPS.