Improvement in a process for the preparation of a sulfonated fatty acid ester surfactant, process for the preparation of a sulfonated fatty acid ester surfactant, and, perfection in a process for the neutralization of an organic acid

摘要

A sulfonation process includes the process steps of air sulfonating a fatty acid alkyl ester feedstock, bleaching the crude product with co-addition of up to about 40 wt.% of an alcohol based upon the weight of the crude product. The bleaching/alcohol addition step of the process is performed in a non-metallic or low-iron alloy system at temperatures above 90 DEG C. The resulting product is then neutralized with a liquid base or metal carbonate.