Process for the manufacture of fatty acid esters

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF FATTY ACID ESTERS COMPRISING: (A) MAINTAINING IN A PORTION OF A REACTION VESSEL A MIXTURE OF FAT, POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL, AND ALKALINE ESTERINTERCHANGE CATALYST, AND A MONOESTER RESULTING FROM THE REACTION OF THE FAT AND POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL IN THE PRESENCE OF THE CATALYST ALL AT EQUILIBRIUM AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE ABOUT 350*F., (B) CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING MORE OF THE FAT, POLYHYDRIC ALCOHOL, AND ALKALINE ESTER-INTERCHANGE CATALYST INTO THE REACTION VESSEL, (C) CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING FROM THE REACTION VESSEL A PORTION OF THE MIXTURE AT EQUILIBRIUM AT THE TEMPERATURE IN THE REACTION VESSEL AND AT THE SAME RATE THAT MATERIAL OF STEP (B) IS ADDED TO THE REACTION VESSEL, (D) VACUUM FILM DISTILLING THE ALCOHOL FROM THE PORTION OF THE MIXTURE WITHDRAWN AT A PRESSURE BETWEEN ABOUT 3 AND 50 MM. HG AND AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THAT OF THE BOILING POINT OF THE ALCOHOL AND BELOW THE BOILING POINT OF THE ESTERS IN THE MIXTURE, (E) COOLING RESIDUE FROM STEP (D) BELOW APPROXIMATELY 350*F. WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 10 MINUTES FROM THE TIME THAT PORTION OF THE MIXTURE LEFT THE REACTION VESSEL, (F) ADDING SUFFICIENT ACID TO THE RESIDUE RESULTING FROM STEP (D) TO SUBSTANTIALLY NEUTRALIZE THE CATALYST AND FORM A SALT OF THE CATALYST AND ACID, AND (G) SEPARATION OF THE SALT FORMED IN STEP (F) BY FILTRATION.