METHODS OF REFINING AND PRODUCING ISOMERIZED FATTY ACIDS ESTERS AND FATTY ACIDS FROM NATURAL OIL FEEDSTOCKS

• Main Authors: KUNZ, LINDA, A, QUINN, JORDAN, R, BELTRAN, LESLIE, V, PALS, TESSA, M, GILDON, DEMOND, L, BERNHARDT, RANDAL, J, COHEN, STEVEN, A, BEHRENDS, RAYMOND, T, SNEAD, THOMAS, E
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 20.01.2016
• Subjects: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS; ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES AND WAXES; CANDLES; CHEMISTRY; DETERGENTS; ESSENTIAL OILS; FATS, OILS OR FATTY ACIDS BY CHEMICAL MODIFICATION OF FATS,OILS, OR FATTY ACIDS OBTAINED THEREFROM; FATTY ACIDS FROM FATS, OILS OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; METALLURGY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; PERFUMES; PRODUCING (PRESSING, EXTRACTION), REFINING AND PRESERVINGFATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES (e.g. LANOLIN), FATTY OILS AND WAXES,INCLUDING EXTRACTION FROM WASTE MATERIALS

Methods are provided for refining natural oil feedstocks and producing isomerized esters and acids. The methods comprise providing a C4-C18 unsaturated fatty ester or acid, and isomerizing the fatty acid ester or acid in the presence of heat or an isomerization catalyst to form an isomerized fatty ester or acid. In some embodiments, the methods comprise forming a dibasic ester or dibasic acid prior to the isomerizing step. In certain embodiments, the methods further comprise hydrolyzing the dibasic ester to form a dibasic acid. In certain embodiments, the olefin is formed by reacting the feedstock in the presence of a metathesis catalyst under conditions sufficient to form a metathesized product comprising olefins and esters, separating the olefins from the esters in the metathesized product, and transestehfying the esters in the presence of an alcohol to form a transesterified product having unsaturated esters.