LIPID RICH COMPOSITIONS, PRODUCTION OF LIPID RICH COMPOSITIONS, PRODUCTION OF FATTY ACID ALKYL ESTERS FROM HETEROGENEOUS LIPID MIXTURES

摘要

A method for producing fatty acid alkyl esters, involving esterifying a material containing free fatty acids (FFA) with an alcohol and an inorganic acid catalyst to form a product containing fatty acid alkyl esters, wherein (i) the material contains at least about 40 % FFA and is produced by reacting a feedstock with steam and sulfuric acid at a pH of about 1-about 2 or (ii) the material contains at least about 80 % FFA and is produced by reacting a feedstock with steam and alkali at a pH of about 11-about 13 and further reacting the feedstock with steam and sulfuric acid at a pH of about 1-about 2. A method for producing a lipid rich composition containing at least about 80 % FFA involving reacting a feedstock with steam and alkali at a pH of about 11-about 13 and further reacting the feedstock with steam and sulfuric acid at a pH of about 1-about 2. The feedstock may be selected from soy, coconut, corn, cotton, flax, palm, rapeseed/canola, safflower, sunflower, animal fats, waste greases, and mixtures thereof, the oils or soapstocks of soy, coconut, corn, cotton, flax, palm, rapeseed/canola, safflower, sunflower; animal fats; waste greases; and mixtures thereof; or other fully or partially hydrolyzed preparations of such feedstocks.