Process for the preparation of fatty alcohols from fatty acid methyl ester

摘要

The invention relates to a process for producing fatty alcohols by catalytic hydrogenation of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), in which the FAME is first hydrogenated to fatty alcohol (FA). The portions of unreacted FAME remaining in the hydrogenation product are reacted with FA to wax ester and methanol in a subsequent transesterification step. According to the invention, catalysts based on magnesium oxide or hydrotalcite are used. After the methanol and the FA as the target product have been separated off, a stream enriched in wax esters is returned to the hydrogenation reactor.