Fatty Acids - Keystones of Oleochemistry

Historically, industrial oleochemistry began when Ernst Twitched at Emery (now Cognis and Emery Oleochemicals) in Cincinnati successfully performed 

Fatty adds are predominantly used as intermediates. Main applieations are water soluble soaps for household eleaning, personal care, industrial and institutional (I I) cleaning and synthetic rubber manufacturing by emulsion polymerization. Soaps are made by reaction of fatty acids with caustic alkalis, alkali carbonate or ammonia or ( 90%) by direct saponification of the triglyceride oil. Another important group of fatty add soaps are dry, water-insoluble metal soaps used as lubricants or stabilizers for PVC and other plastics and aqueous calcium stearate dispersions applied as paper coating 

Fatty acids are raw materials for fatty amines, ethoxylated fatty amines, quaternary ammonium compounds (Quats), fatty acid-polyamine condensates, fabric softeners based on esterquats, fatty add amides, alkyl keten dimers for paper sizing and amphoteric surfactants. Binding of oleic add anhydride to cellulose fibre by chemical grafting is a recently introduced sustainable process to protect construction timber for outdoor use, such as pinewood shutters, from moisture and outside attack. Impregnation of the wood involves two stages firstly in an autoclave, where vacuum and pressure ensure its penetration, and then in a tank where the wood is soaked in a bath of anhydride, to encourage grafting of the anhydride on the wood.  

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