Oleochemicals – Step into a growing market with Sulzer Chemtech
Sulzer Chemtech benefits from decades of experience distilling oleochemicals (fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty acid esters). Pilot Distillation of oleochemicals distillation experiments have been performed in Winterthur (Switzerland) requires attention to the and in-house vapor-liquid-equilibrium (VLE) parameters are available. following key features: It is estimated that today more than 500 industrial columns, utilizing Sulzer Chemtech structured packing and internals, are in operation. • High vacuum • Low pressure drop Fatty Acid Distillation • Low bottom temperature Fatty acids are saturated and unsaturated aliphatic carboxylic acids • Minimum holdup with carbon chain length in the range of C6 up to C24. • Short residence time
Example: palmitic acid,
CH3 - (CH2)14 - COOH Knowledge of the chemical and physical properties of fatty acids is one of the basic prerequisites for industrial manufacturing and technical applications. Thermodynamic data are necessary for the calculation of heat Fatty acid Fatty acid Fatty acid transfer and thermal separation. C C C Water and A B C uncondensed Sulzer Chemtech has the know-how, components the extensive experience and the structured packing with internals to ensure the most gentle distillation of fatty acids. Drying Column Further specialties in this field are: • Multipurpose fatty acid distillation plants
Crude Fatty acid Fatty acid Fatty acid Residue • Separation of C18’ / C18’’ / C18’’’
fatty acid CABC CBC CC • Liquid / gas side product draw-off • Pump-around condensers • Steam generation (condenser heat Multipurpose Fatty Acid Distillation Plant recovery) Fatty Alcohol Distillation Fatty alcohols are aliphatic alcohols with carbon chain lengths between Hydro- C6 and C22: Splitting, hydrolysis genation Fatty CH3(CH2)n CH2OH (n = 4 - 20) acid
Fat In the oleochemical production Edible and Fatty fat and oil Glycerol of fatty alcohols, molecules never oil alcohol have a uniform carbon chain length. For purification and quality Fatty acid methyl ester improvement, the fatty alcohol Removal of Transesterfication Hydro- free fatty acid mixture has to be distillated. For genation this separation and purification, the same high technical demands are required as for the fatty acid Overview of Fat and Oil Processes distillation.
Biodiesel To be powered by a renewable Oil Filtration Removal free acids fuel is not a dream any longer. The biodiesel process overview Solid Fatty acids shows the field of Sulzer Chemtech activities in the blue boxes. Neutrali- Fatty acid Reaction zation Decantation methyl ester Biodiesel drying Glycerol Methanol Methanol Glycerol (C3H8O3), 1,2,3-propan- etriol, commonly known as glycerin, water is the simplest triol. It is obtained as Catalyst Methanol Glycerol Methanol Waste water a byproduct during the conversion drying distillation of fats and oils to fatty acids and fatty acid methyl esters. Depending Glycerol on a customer’s requirements, glycerol can be purified up to: Biodiesel process • Technical grade by atmospheric drying • Pharmaceutical grade by vacuum distillation
Edible Fat and Oil Scrubber Deodorization Fatty acid Through the use of structured Flash packing, free fatty acids present box in vegetable oils must be removed with extreme care. The columns Stripping Column operate at a very low vacuum so that it is of immense importance Steam that the pressure drop in the stripping column is also low. In Edible oil for further Edible oil comparison with a conventional treating free fatty free fatty acid 1-5 % wt acid <0.05 % wt apparatus, steam consumption falls by 70% Free fatty acid removal for edible and oil treating
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