Oleochemical industrial development

Industrial Development and Application of Biobased Oleochemicals Table 4.1 Evaluation of environmental compatibility of chemicals. 

The oleochemical industry is fairly well developed and its future secure because of a reliable supply of raw materials. The world s fats and oils output has been growing rapidly over the past few decades, far beyond the need for human nutrition. The world s production and consumption of natural oils and fats has grown from 79.2 million t in 1990 to 117 million t in 2001. Malaysia, Indonesia, and Argentina are notable excess-supply producers India, the European Union countries, and China are notable high-demand areas that supplement regional production through imports (1). 

Hill, K. (2007) Industrial development and application of biobased oleochemicals, in Catalysis for Renewables (eds G. Centi and R. van Santen), Wiley-VCH Verlag, Weinheim, Ch. 4, p. 75. 

The oleochemical industry is fairly well developed and its future secure because of a reliable supply of raw materials. The world s fats and oils output have been growing rapidly over the past few years far beyond the need for human nutrition. 

Hill K. 2007. Industrial Development and Application of Bio-based Oleochemicals. Pure and Applied Chemistry 79(11) 1999-2011. 

Hill, K. (2007) Industrial development and application of biobased oleochemicals, Pure Appl. 

The oldest surfactant is soap, which may be traced back to the ancient Egyptians and beyond. Synthetic surfactants had been produced in the first half of the 20th century but it was only after World War II, with the development of the modern petrochemical industry, that alternative feedstocks to oleochemicals became readily available. Hence chloroparaf-fins and/or alphaolefins and benzene were used to produce alkylbenzene (or alkylate ), processes were developed to produce a range of synthetic fatty alcohols and alkylene oxide chemistry resulted in ethylene oxide and propylene oxide building blocks becoming readily available. 

In our ciurent research effort to find new industrial uses for vegetables oils, we are studying the cleavage of the oxirane group to develop new oleochemicals for applications in the fields of lubricants and detergents, and as new chemical intermediates. 

Worldwide reserves of petroleum feedstocks are rapidly depleted. Therefore, one must look for alternative feedstocks for developing a sustainable chemical industry. Nowadays more and more companies become interested in the use of oleochemicals. 

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