Macaúba oil for the production of oleochemicals

A process of manufacturing a fatty acid-based surfactant, the process comprising the steps of

• a) converting oil extracted from a Macaúba palm having an oil yield in tons per hectare per year of at least 6 t/ha/yr into a fatty acid composition,
• b) separating fatty acids selected from the group consisting of a C4 fatty acid, a C6 fatty acid, a C8 fatty acid, a C10 fatty acid, a C12 fatty acid, a C14 fatty acid, a C16 fatty acid, a C18 fatty acid, a C20 fatty acid, and a C22 fatty acid, from the fatty acid composition obtained in step a),
• c) optionally blending at least two of the separated fatty acids,
• d) subsequently converting at least one of the separated fatty acids selected from the group consisting of C4 fatty acid, C6 fatty acid, Cs fatty acid, C10 fatty acid, C12 fatty acid, C14 fatty acid, C16 fatty acid, C18 fatty acid, C20 fatty acid, and C22 fatty acid, into the respective fatty acid-based surfactant.