Abstract: Fatty acids, esters of fatty acids and naturally occurring triglycerides are continuously hydrogenated to fatty alcohols in a fixed-bed reactor in the presence of hydrogen in excess and hydrogenation catalysts under static pressures of 200 to 300 bar and at temperatures of 80 to 150° C. The liquid product is cooled and the excess hydrogen is returned to the reactor entrance by a gas circulation pump as a recycle gas after separation of the liquid product. The expense involved in cooling and reheating the recycle gas is eliminated without any reduction in the quality of the fatty alcohol produced providing the recycle gas is returned to the reactor entrance without reheating. The fatty alcohol produced contains a minimum amount of diol.

Abstract: Naturally occurring fats, oils and fatty derivatives are continuously hydrogenated to fatty alcohols in a fixed-bed reactor in the presence of hydrogen in excess and hydrogenation catalysts under static pressures of 50 to 300 bar and at temperatures of 160 to 320° C. The liquid product is cooled and the excess hydrogen is returned to the reactor entrance by a gas circulation pump as a recycle gas after separation of the liquid product. The expense involved in cooling and reheating the recycle gas is eliminated without any reduction in the quality of the fatty alcohol produced providing the recycle gas is returned to the reactor entrance without reheating and the hydrogenation reaction is carried out under static pressures of at least 200 bar.

Abstract: Oxidic catalysts containing 20 to 25% by weight of aluminum and 40 to 50% by weight of zinc which are suitable for the production of unsaturated fatty alcohols containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms by hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid lower alkyl esters or unsaturated fatty acid glycerides are disclosed. A process for the production of the oxidic aluminum/zinc catalysts is also disclosed.

Abstract: Oxidic catalysts containing 20 to 25% by weight of aluminum and 40 to 50% by weight of zinc which are suitable for the production of unsaturated fatty alcohols containing 8 to 22 carbon atoms by hydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids, fatty acid lower alkyl esters or unsaturated fatty acid glycerides are disclosed. A process for the production of the oxidic aluminum/zinc catalysts is also disclosed.

Abstract: The proposal is for unsaturated fatty substances with improved cold behavior obtained by (a) transesterifying a new low stearic (LS) sunflower oil with an oleic acid content of over 85 wt. % and a stearic acid content of under 3 wt. %, and (b) hydrogenating the resultant methyl esters in the prior art manner into the corresponding unsaturated fatty alcohols in the iodine number range from 90 to 100. The fatty substances are also distinguished by improved color and odor and are suitable for making fatty chemical products, e.g. alkoxylates, ether sulphates, sulphates and esters.

Abstract: A process for the production of fatty acid lower alkyl esters comprising the steps of:A) treating at least one fatty acid ester of glycerol with from about 0.3 to about 3% by weight, based on the weight of ester, of an acid at an elevated temperature;B) removing said acid from the treated fatty acid ester; andC) reacting the treated fatty acid ester with at least one lower aliphatic alcohol to transesterify the fatty acid ester.

Abstract: A composition useful as a release agent for hydraulic binders is provided. The composition comprises water, an oil component comprising a water-immiscible monohydric alcohol component liquid at temperatures of 5.degree. to 15.degree. C. and selected from the group consisting of unsaturated fatty alcohols containing 12 to 22 carbon atoms and having iodine values of 40 to 170, Guerbet alcohols containing 16 to 28 carbon atoms, oxoalcohols containing 8 to 15 carbon atoms, and saturated alcohols containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms, and 0.5 to 5% by weight of an emulsifier, based on the oil component. The release agent is particularly useful for the treatment of formwork material in concrete construction.

Abstract: Fatty alcohols of the formula IR.sup.1 OH (I)wherein R.sup.1 is a saturated or unsaturated, linear or branched aliphatic radical having from about 8 to about 22 carbon atoms are made by an improvement in the process which comprises hydrogenating a fatty acid, a fatty acid methyl ester or a combination thereof to form a fatty alcohol. The improvement comprises removing a head fraction from the fatty acid, the fatty acid methyl ester or the fatty alcohol in such a quantity that the fatty alcohol has an iodine value of from about 20 to about 110 and less than about 4.5% by weight of conjugated compounds.

Abstract: A process for the production of a mixture of substantially odorless fatty alcohol ethersulfate salts corresponding to formula (I):R.sup.1 --(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.n --O--SO.sub.3 X (I)in whichR.sup.1 is an alkyl radical containing from 6 to 18 carbon atoms,n is a number of from 1 to 10, andX is an alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, ammonium, or alkanolammonium ion,comprising the steps ofA) ethoxylating a fatty alcohol mixture in which the content of components having a boiling point below 235.degree. C. is not more than 0.5% by weight, based on the weight of the fatty alcohol mixture;B) sulfating the fatty alcohol ethoxylate mixture from step A; andC) neutralizing the sulfated fatty alcohol ethoxylate mixture from step B to form said mixture of substantially odorless fatty alcohol ethersulfate salts.

Abstract: Fatty acid glycerides can be transesterified with lower aliphatic alcohols if the reaction is carried out in the presence of fatty acids corresponding to formula (II):R.sup.2 --COOH (II),in which R.sup.2 is an aliphatic hydrocarbon moiety containing 11 to 17 carbon atoms and 0, 1 or 2 double bonds. The products are distinguished by a low content of bound glycerol and a low acid value. Removal or neutralization of the catalyst is unnecessary because, after the transesterification, the fatty acids are also present in the form of their esters.

Abstract: Unsaturated fatty alcohols with 6 to 22 C atoms can be produced by directly hydrating deacidified and/or non-deacidified glyceride oils containing monounsaturated and/or polyunsaturated, straight chain and/or branched-chain fatty acids having 6 to 22 C atoms in the fatty acid residue, by applying a 30 to 100-fold excess of hydrogen in a pressure range from 50 to 300 bars, at temperatures from 200.degree. to 400.degree. C., to zinc-chrome-catalysts of the spinel type, while largely preserving the olefinic double bonds and with formation of propane and 1,2-propylene glycol.

Abstract: Mixtures containinga) 58 to 95% by weight of at least one ester with an iodine value of 50 to 150 derived from fatty acids containing 12 to 22 carbon atoms and lower aliphatic alcohols containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms,b) 4 to 40% by weight of at least one ester of fatty acids containing 6 to 14 carbon atoms and lower aliphatic alcohols containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms andc) 0.1 to 2% by weight of at least one polymeric ester, are distinguished by particular low-temperature stability and can be used as a fuel for diesel engines.

Abstract: C.sub.8-22 fatty alcohols are produced by a process which comprises contacting a triglyceride with hydrogen in the presence of a copper-zinc catalyst and in a reaction zone. The hydrogen pressure in the reaction zone is from about 200 to about 280 bar, the temperature of the entrance of the reaction zone is from about 200.degree. C. to about 230.degree. C., and the temperature of the exit of the reaction zone is from about 190.degree. C. to about 220.degree. C. The amount of 1,2-propanediol formed is optimized by the lower temperature of the exit portion of the reaction zone.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the hydrogenation of native fats, oils and fat derivatives, such as fatty acids and fatty acid esters, to fatty alcohols in a fixed-bed reactor, more particularly in co-current, hydrogen being recirculated in a stoichiometric excess, more particularly in an excess of 10 to 100 fold, and the fat, oil or fat derivative passing through the reactor only once. To minimize the specific hydrogen demand without having to accept significant losses in regard to specific reactor load, product selectivity and catalyst life, the hydrogen is passed successively through at least two fixed-bed reactors 4,10 without the gas issuing from the reactors 4 and entering the following reactors 10 being cooled and the fat, oil or fat derivative is simultaneously introduced into the reactors 4,10.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for the catalytic hydrogenation of liquid saturated and unsaturated C.sub.6-24 fatty acid methyl esters for the production of saturated fatty alcohols and methanol in the presence of gaseous hydrogen and hydrogenation catalysts under pressures of 50 to 300 bar and at temperatures in the range from 160.degree. to 250.degree. C., characterized in that the hydrogenation reaction is carried out in a tube bundle reactor in which isothermal conditions are established by a cooling or heating fluid, the liquid phase and gas phase being passed together as a co-current trickle phase over catalyst packings in the individual tubes of the reactor without any back-mixing, and in that the load per unit volume of the reaction is between 0.2 and 2.5 liters starting material per liter reactor volume per hour and the load per unit area of each individual tube of the reactor is between 1.5 and 24 m.sup.3 starting material per m.sub.