Abstract: Process and device for obtaining fatty acids or fatty acid esters from native oils and fats by their enzymatic hydrolysis and optional simultaneous esterification with alcohols, especially n- and iso-alcohols Process and device for obtaining fatty acids or fatty acid esters from native oils and fats, in which lipases, as biocatalysts for hydrolysis of oils or fats, are caused to act on a mixture of an oil or fat, water, and optionally an oil- or fat-soluble alcohol to hydrolyze the oil or fat and optionally to form an ester, where the reaction mixture thus formed is placed in an self-discharging centrifuge for separation into a glycerol-containing aqueous phase and an organic phase, the centrifuge is adjusted so that a lipase-enriched intermediate phase collects in the centrifuge between the aqueous that is drained off and the organic phase that is drained off, and the centrifuge is emptied at specified times and the discharged drum contents from the centrifuge are returned to the combined hydrolysis or optio

Abstract: Method for the enzymatic splitting of oils and fats for obtaining fatty acids and glycerol by using lipases being added to a mixture containing an oil or fat and water, wherein the splitting reaction is performed only up to a splitting degree at which slowing-down of the splitting reaction is still below a preset value using discontinuously operated loop reactors, wherein the fatty acids to be obtained are separated from the reaction mixture that is only partially split, by first separating an aqueous glycerol-containing phase from a partially split organic phase containing split fatty acids, in a self-cleaning centrifugal separator and, afterwards, the fatty acids are separated from the partially split organic phase and the residue of the organic phase freed from the free fatty acids is fed back into the splitting process.

Abstract: A process for carrying out a multi-phase reaction in a continuously operated tube reactor operated according to the counter current principle in which reactor components of a liquid phase flowing downwards as a thin film in said tube reactor and components of a continuous gas flowing upward in said tube reactor are brought to material transfer, or reaction respectively. The gas phase is pulsed, by repeated temporary pressure lowering at the gas entry into said tube reactor and/or repeated temporary pressure increase at the gas exit from said tube reactor, to counteract film thickness growth and liquid phase stagnation.

Abstract: Method for the enzymatic splitting of oils and fats for obtaining fatty acids and glycerol by using lipases being added to a mixture containing an oil or fat and water, wherein the splitting reaction is performed only up to a splitting degree at which slowing-down of the splitting reaction is still below a preset value using discontinuously operated loop reactors, wherein the fatty acids to be obtained are separated from the reaction mixture that is only partially split, by first separating an aqueous glycerol-containing phase from a partially split organic phase containing split fatty acids, in a self-cleaning centrifugal separator and, afterwards, the fatty acids are separated from the partially split organic phase and the residue of the organic phase freed from the free fatty acids is fed back into the splitting process.