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Specialty Chemistry Forums => Chemical Engineering Forum => Topic started by: aggaboyle77 on April 09, 2021, 08:46:52 AM

Title: sorbitan ester
Post by: aggaboyle77 on April 09, 2021, 08:46:52 AM

Hello,

I am trying to make sorbitan monooleate. I had several pilot reactor trials and unfortunately too muck blacking and carbon formation occured in the reactor. I used phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide couple as catalyst and the temperature 220 degC under 100 mbar vacuum
Is there another specific catalyst for the production or lower temperature should be applied ?

Title: Re: sorbitan ester
Post by: sjb on April 09, 2021, 03:07:41 PM

Quote from: aggaboyle77 on April 09, 2021, 08:46:52 AM

Hello,

I am trying to make sorbitan monooleate. I had several pilot reactor trials and unfortunately too muck blacking and carbon formation occured in the reactor. I used phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide couple as catalyst and the temperature 220 degC under 100 mbar vacuum
Is there another specific catalyst for the production or lower temperature should be applied ?

I imagine you may get a mixture of products - which probably isn't helping. What's the intended use?

Title: Re: sorbitan ester
Post by: wildfyr on April 10, 2021, 01:07:55 PM

Quote

I used phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide couple as catalyst

What? These will just neutralize each other. Phosphoric acid isnt usually a choice esterification catalyst. Sulfuric is my go to, but p toluene sulfonic acid is good too, and safer to handle. A lot of literature out there on this... more than could be read in a lifetime.