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AssigneeUnilever Patent Holdings B.V.
InventorsHendrikus J. van den Berg, Robbert Klok
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The invention provides a process for the esterification of a C.sub.2 -C.sub.24 monocarboxylic acid with a C.sub.1 -C.sub.5 monoalcohol in a reactor at an increased reaction temperature and increased pressure which is carried out in the absence of any esterification catalyst while continuously feeding in the alcohol during the reaction and removing a gaseous alcohol/water mixture. Preferably the process is carried out in countercurrent in column reactor which is packed or contains plates. The reaction temperature is usually between 200.degree. C. and 260.degree. C. at a pressure between 0.5 and 1.5 MPa. There is a C.sub.6 -C.sub.20 monocarboxylic acid and monoalcohol a C.sub.1 -C.sub.3 monoalcohol. More preferably the process is carried in two steps with a first step as described above and a second step in which further reaction to a conversion of at least 99% is carried out in the presence of an esterification catalyst at a temperature below 100.degree. C.
In a process for the esterification of a carboxylic acid with an alcohol in which the reaction temperature is between 200.degree. and 260.degree. C. and the pressure is between 0.5 and 1.5 Mpa, the improvement wherein the reaction takes place in a reactor in the absence of a catalyst by continuously feeding one reactant in the gaseous phase and the other reactant in the liquid phase to the reactor and continuously removing therefrom a gaseous mixture comprising the more volatile reactant and water.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.