Production of fatty acids

In a process for the production of fatty acids from C.sub.12 to C.sub.35 normal alkanes wherein said C.sub.12 to C.sub.35 normal alkanes are oxidized in the liquid phase with molecular oxygen at elevated temperatures and pressures sufficient to maintain a liquid phase of said alkanes for a time whereby there is produced a crude primary oxidate liquid product containing fatty acids, unreacted alkanes and oxygenated hydrocarbon intermediates, and wherein a fatty acid product is recovered from said crude primary oxidate liquid product, the improvement which comprises:

• controlling said oxidation with molecular oxygens at a level such that said crude primary oxidate has a saponification number of about 50 to 95 and, in a secondary oxidation, oxidizing said crude primary oxidate liquid product prior to recovery of any fatty acids therefrom by nitric acid oxidation at elevated temperatures and pressures sufficient to maintain a liquid phase, and in the presence of a catalytic amount of a nitric acid oxidation catalyst, to produce a crude secondary oxidate liquid product comprising an aqueous phase containing most of the C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 fatty acids and a hydrocarbon phase containing most of the C.sub.7 and higher fatty acids, followed by recovering a fatty acid product from said crude secondary oxidate liquid product.