Description

Oleochemicals are the products derived directly or indirectly from naturally occurring fats and oils from animal and vegetable sources. The two major, commercially significant oleochemicals are fatty acids and glycerin, both formed by hydrolysis of fats and oils. Methanolysis yields fatty acid methyl esters and glycerin, which for the purposes of this report will be referred to as first generation oleochemicals. Other oleochemicals are fatty alcohols and fatty amines, which are both derived from the first generation products. An overview of the oleochemicals industry is depicted below. OVERVIEW OF OLEOCHEMICALS INDUSTRY For oleochemical production, the major commercial processes applied to animal and vegetable oils and fats are saponification, hydrolysis, and methanolysis, all of which lead to glycerol and mixed fatty acid fragments (i.e., first generation oleochemicals) in the acid or ester form. The resulting mix of fatty acid fragments and the quantity of glycerol recovered depends upon the specific fat or oil used in the process. A relatively small proportion of fats and oils, mainly from the sperm whale and jojoba seeds, are rich in esters of fatty acids and fatty alcohols of the structure R1-COOR2, where R1 and R2 are C14 to C18, saturated or unsaturated, acid groups. These mixed esters are waxy solids that have value in a number of specialty applications, particularly in personal care products. The triglyceride concentrations are low compared to other fats and oils, and only about 2 to 5 percent can be expected. These waxy esters can be subjected to hydrolysis to separate the fatty acid and fatty alcohol components. This report is limited to the first generation products of fats and oils, and to their second generation derivatives as noted below: First generation products - glycerol, fatty acids, and fatty acid methyl ethers Second generation derivatives - fatty alcohols and fatty amines Because of their commercial importance, alternative synthetic routes to these second generation products have been developed from petrochemical feeds. The technology is well defined and the products have gained wide market acceptance in a number of high volume applications. Thus, since they are produced from both natural and petrochemical feedstocks, a competitive environment has emerged that affects the overall oleochemical market. Nexant Chem Systems Merge Nexant, Inc., a leading provider of technology solutions and experienced-based technical and management consulting services to electric utilities, energy producers, oil and gas companies, governments, and energy end-users worldwide, has recently acquired Chem Systems. This acquisition, combining our services and products, allows us to span the full range of power, oil, gas, refining, petrochemicals and specialty chemicals sectors and provide our clients with a broader base of services in the energy and process industries.