Process for making branched, substantially unsaturated fatty alcohols

Abstract

A process for making branched, substantially unsaturated fatty alcohols involving: (a) providing a C16-22 fatty acid; (b) dimerizing the C16-22 fatty acid to form a monomer fraction containing branched, substantially unsaturated fatty acids; (c) removing the monomer fraction; (d) esterifying the branched, substantially unsaturated fatty acids contained in the monomer fraction into branched, substantially unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters; and (e) hydrogenating the branched, substantially unsaturated fatty acid methyl esters with their double bonds intact, to form the branched, substantially unsaturated fatty alcohols.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.