No-bleach process for making sulfonated fatty acid alkyl ester surfactant
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorsVajih A. Khan, Michael T. Creedon, Benjamin E. Chapman
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Abstract
An improved, no -bleach process for the production of sulfonated fatty acid alkyl ester surfactants containing sulfonated fatty acid alkyl esters and less than 10% of sulfonated fatty acid disalt, fatty acid salt (soap), and fatty acid alkyl ester impurities, said process comprising sulfonating fatty acid alkyl esters, reacting with a C.sub.1 to C.sub.8 alcohol, and continuously neutralizing with an alkoxide in a substantially anhydrous medium of a C.sub.1 to C.sub.8 alcohol, wherein the process does not consist of a
Claims26
A no-bleach process for preparing a sulfonated fatty acid alkyl ester surfactant comprising, by weight of the surfactant, from about 90% to 100% of sulfonated fatty acid alkyl esters and less than about 10% of impurities selected from the group consisting of sulfonated fatty acid salts, fatty acid salts, fatty acid alkyl esters, and mixtures thereof;
- said process comprising the steps of:
- a) sulfonating fatty acid alkyl esters;
- b) reacting the product of step a) with about 10% to about 20%, by weight of the product of step a), of a substantially anhydrous C.sub.1 to C.sub.8 alcohol;
- c) continuously neutralizing the product of step b) with an alkoxide of the formula (R.sub.2 O.sup.-).sub.n M.sup.n+ having a concentration of from about 5% to 35% by weight, in a substantially anhydrous medium of a C.sub.1 to C.sub.8 alcohol;
- wherein R.sub.2 is on the average a C.sub.1 to C.sub.8 alkyl, M is an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal cation, or a mixture thereof, and n is 1 when M is an alkali metal cation and n is 2 when M is an alkaline earth metal cation;
- d) filtering the product of step c);
- and
- e) purifying the product of step d) in a column of activated carbon;
- wherein the total amount of alcohol in step c) is from about 30% to 65% by weight, the temperature during step c) is from about 30.degree. to 70.degree. C. and the pH during step c) is from about 3 to 11;
- and wherein the process does not consist of a bleaching step.
A no-bleach process for preparing a sulfonated fatty acid methyl ester surfactant comprising, by weight of the surfactant, from about 90% to 100% of sulfonated fatty acid methyl esters and less than about 10% of impurities selected from the group consisting of sulfonated fatty acid salts, fatty acid salts, fatty acid methyl esters, and mixtures thereof;
- said process comprising the steps of:
- a) sulfonating fatty acid methyl esters;
- b) reacting the product of step a) with about 5% to about 25%, by weight of the product of step a), of a substantially anhydrous C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 alcohol;
- c) continuously neutralizing the product of step b) with an alkoxide of the formula (R.sub.2 O.sup.-).sub.n M.sup.n+ having a concentration of from about 5% to 35% by weight, in a substantially anhydrous medium of a C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 alcohol;
- wherein R.sub.2 is on the average a C.sub.1 to C.sub.8 alkyl, M is an alkali metal cation or alkaline earth metal cation, or a mixture thereof and n is 1 when M is an alkali metal cation and n is 2 when M is an alkaline earth metal cation;
- d) filtering the product of step c);
- and
- e) purifying the product of step d) in a column of activated carbon;
- wherein the total amount of alcohol in step c) is from about 30% to 65% by weight, the temperature during step c) is from about 30.degree. to 70.degree. C. and the pH during step c) is from about 5 to 9;
- and wherein the process does not consist of a bleaching step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.