Abstract: The invention relates to a method for improving the separation of water in a tall oil preparation process which comprises: a neutralization step, in which a mixture of tall oil soap and water is neutralized with carbon dioxide; a water separation step, in which the aqueous phase containing bicarbonate is separated from the tall oil soap; and a cooking step, in which the tall oil soap obtained from the previous step is cooked with sulfuric acid in order to form tall oil, the improvement comprising the fact that, after the neutralization with carbon dioxide but before the water separation step, the pH is adjusted with an acidically reacting substance, such as bisulfite. The invention also relates to a method for the preparation of tall oil, the method comprising the steps stated above.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for improving the separation of water in a tall oil preparation process which comprises:a neutralization stage in which a mixture of soap and water is neutralized with carbon dioxide,a water separation stage in which the aqueous phase containing bicarbonate is separated from the soap, anda cooking stage in which the soap obtained from the preceding stage is cooked with sulfuric acid to form tall oil, the improvement comprising the procedure that, after the neutralization with carbon dioxide but before the water separation stage, a second neutralization with sulfuric acid is carried out.The invention also relates to a process comprising the stages presented above for the preparation of tall oil.