| abstract |
PCT No. PCT/GB90/00065 Sec. 371 Date Aug. 12, 1991 Sec. 102(e) Date Aug. 12, 1991 PCT Filed Jan. 16, 1990 PCT Pub. No. WO90/08123 PCT Pub. Date Jul. 26, 1990.An improved process for refining alcohols produced by hydrogenation of esters wherein the crude hydrogenation product still contains a minor amount of unconverted ester starting material. In one embodiment, the process includes a method for recovering fatty alcohol or alcohols from a fatty alcohol fraction containing a major molar amount of at least one fatty alcohol and a minor molar amount of at least one lower alkyl fatty acid ester. In another embodiment, there is provided a process for the production of fatty alcohols which comprises, in addition to other steps, hydrogenating a lower alkyl fatty acid ester to yield a mixture of a lower alkanol, a fatty alcohol fraction and a minor amount of unreacted lower alkyl fatty acid ester. |