Tallow oleochemicals from

Surfactants can be produced from both petrochemical resources and/or renewable, mostly oleochemical, feedstocks. Crude oil and natural gas make up the first class while palm oil (+kernel oil), tallow and coconut oil are the most relevant representatives of the group of renewable resources. Though the worldwide supplies of crude oil and natural gas are limited—estimated in 1996 at 131 X 1091 and 77 X 109 m3, respectively [28]—it is not expected that this will cause concern in the coming decades or even until the next century. In this respect it should be stressed that surfactant products only represent 1.5% of all petrochemical uses. Regarding the petrochemically derived raw materials, the main starting products comprise ethylene, n-paraffins and benzene obtained from crude oil by industrial processes such as distillation, cracking and adsorption/desorption. The primary products are subsequently converted to a series of intermediates like a-olefins, oxo-alcohols, primary alcohols, ethylene oxide and alkyl benzenes, which are then further modified to yield the desired surfactants. 

Oleochemical alcohols, sometimes known as natural alcohols, are also identified by the carbon range C12-C14 lauric, Ci6-Ci8 tallow, regardless of the origin of the raw material. C1(-i-C18 alcohols were predominantly produced in the past from tallow, hence their name, although today they are also widely produced from palm oil. Lauric range alcohols are produced from either coconut oil or from palm kernel oil. 

Raw materials. It is possible to use any fatty acid as a feed material for sulphonation but economic considerations dictate that oleochemical material be preferred. Fatty acids are readily obtained from vegetable and animal oils and fats which are fatty acid triglycerides. These are transesterified to generate glycerol and three moles of a fatty acid ester, normally a methyl ester. The methyl ester can be distilled to give a specific cut and the fatty acid finally isolated by hydrolysis or hydrogenation of the ester. It is common to use animal fats (tallow) in which case the dominant C chains are 16 and 18. 

These anionic surfactants (Figure 8.5) are used primarily in Europe as a substitute for LAS [45], Environmental considerations have prompted manufacturers to use surfactants of this type, which can be derived from oleochemical sources. The carbon chain length can range from CIO to Cl8. Tallow alcohol sulfate is the... 

Animal edible tallow is normally obtained from beef but also from sheep and goats, processed from suet. Unlike suet, tallow can be stored for extended periods without the need for refrigeration to prevent decomposition, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation. It is used in animal feed, to make soap, for cooking, as bird feed, and was used for making candles. It can be used as a raw material for the production of biodiesel and other oleochemicals. ... 

The basic petrochemical feedstocks are ethylene and benzene which are converted to the surfactant intermediates ethylene oxide, linear alkyl benzene (LAB), and detergent alcohols. Oleochemical or natural surfactants are commonly derived from plant oils (coconut and pahn oils), from plant carbohydrates such as sorbitol, sucrose, and glucose or from animal fats such as tallow. 

Tallow dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride. See Tallowalkonium chloride Tallow dimethyl glycine. See Tallow betaine Tallowdimonium propyltrimonium dichloride CAS 68607-29-4 EINECS/ELINCS 271-762-1 Synonyms N,N,N, N, N -Pentamethyl-N-tallow alkyl-1,3-propanediammonium dichloride Quaternary ammonium compds., pentamethyltallow alkyltrimethylenedi-, dichlorides N-Tallow pentamethyl propane diammonium dichloride Classification Quaternary ammonium salt Formula [RN(CH3)2(CH2)3N(CH3)3] 2CI", R rep. alkyl groups from tallow Uses Detergent corrosion inhibitor metal cleaner emulsifier for sec. oil recovery antistat, emulsifier, surfactant in cosmetics Trade Name Synonyms Jet Quat DT-50 t[Witco/Oleochems. Derive. ]... 

Basic raw-material processors extract and refine crude oil into petrochemicals such as petroleum oil distillates including paraffins, benzene, and other basic aromatics and extract and convert natural gas into ethylene and propylene. Processors of oleochemicals extract and purify seed oils from palm, soybean, sunflower seed, palm kernel, and coconut, and render animal fats such as tallow to provide triglyceride oils with varying chain distributions. 

The majority of the world s oleochemical-derived alcohol sulfates comes from four main sources today—coconut, pahn, palm kernel, and tallow. The majority of surfactant alcohol volume comes from coconut and palm kernel oil due to the high content of C 2- a ft " fatty-alcohol production as discussed earlier. However, several new initiatives are now underway to broaden the available existing sources of plant oils. 

Most fatty acids are obtained by hydrolysis of oils from various oleochemical sources (animal, marine and plant) and the composition of fatty acids in the oil is determined by its origin and production method. An exception to this is the widely used tall oil fatty acid products, obtained as free fatty acids together with rosin acid from paper pulping. Animal sources, for example lard and tallow, are characterized by high concentrations of saturated fatty acids, while marine sources (fish oils) are characterized by long-chain and unsaturated acids. The fatty acid composition of oils from plant sources varies greatly... 

Yet another complication is the property demand on the structure of the hydrocarbon chain, which is totally different when the oleochemical is used as an energy source from when it is used as the hydrophobic part of a surfactant. To produce energy through combustion you just need a certain amount of carbon material, but for a surfactant the behaviour is mostly determined by the length and structure of the hydrophobe. This means that, for example, tallow oil cannot be easily substituted by, for instance, palm oil to get the same surfactant properties. Therefore, if a couple of major power plants choose to use tallow oil for their combustion, they could easily consume the total amount produced in Europe. This would be a rather attractive option for the tallow producers, having to deal with only a couple of large-scale customers prepared to pay premium... 

S. is a colorless waxlike material, soluble in alcohol and other organic solvents. S. derives from ->tallow (main source) and many other animal and vegetable ->fats and oils. S. is a by-product of many oleochemical operations, e.g., refining of vegetable oils for nutritional purposes and of fats and greases for technical applications. 

---