Page 2 - Microsoft Word - Methyl Ester Sulfonate Products 5th Cesio v19,R1.doc

caractéristiques du stock d’alimentation, les produits intermédiaires et les produits qui en
résultent ainsi que leur composition font l’objet de la discussion. Les conditions
importantesdu processus font aussi partie de la discussion, à partir de la sulfonation initiale
jusqu'au produit final, lequel est concentré ou super-concentré.

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG

Beschrieben werden Untersuchungen der Sulfurierung von verschiedenen Methylester-
Futterprodukten, erzeugt aus Kokosnuss, Palmkern, Palmstearin, Talg und Soja. Diese
Futterstoffe sind allgemein von Interesse, da sie aus erneuerbaren Ölen erzeugt werden, und
Methylester-Sulfonate insgesamt haben vorteilhafte waschaktive und umweltfreundliche
Merkmale. Die Untersuchungen wurden im Rahmen eines Pilotwerkes an dauerbetriebenen
Fertigungsanlagen speziell zur Erzeugung von Methylester-Sulfonaten durchgeführt. Die
Merkmale und Zusammensetzung der Futterstoffe, Zwischen- und Endprodukte werden
diskutiert. Wichtige Verarbeitungsbedingungen werden ebenfalls beschrieben, von der ersten
Sulfurierung bis hin zum endgültigen, konzentrierten oder ultrakonzentrierten Produkt.
INTRODUCTION

Much of the recent work in the area of methyl ester sulfonates (MES) has focused on highly
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hydrogenated and refined methyl ester feedstock. As the market for MES matures,
developing a product database for a wide variety of feedstocks is of interest, especially when
one considers the manufacturing costs associated with improving feedstock quality. Less
refined feedstocks from natural and renewable sources are particularly interesting. With this
in mind two of the feedstocks discussed have iodine values greater than 1.0 as well as
interesting carbon-chain distributions. This study was performed with process equipment
using a series of dominant bath and plug flow operations. Sulfonation was accomplished in a
Chemithon Annular Falling Film reactor (AFFR) with a dominant bath recycle loop followed
by plug flow digestion at elevated temperature. The color of the dark sulfonic acid that results
from the digestion is then reduced in a continuous hydrogen peroxide acid bleaching system
where the components are admixed in a loop and further bleached in a plug flow vessel.

The light colored bleached methyl ester sulfonic acid is neutralized to a controlled pH and
sent to a stripper or dryer as required. MES concentrated pastes may be dried to form flakes
or needles (>90% active), which are easy to store and transport and are readily processed to a
powder by milling or grinding. The powdered MES has excellent properties for
agglomeration in detergent granules and tablets. The process technology to make
concentrated and ultra-concentrated forms of the product has been commercialized and is
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becoming more widely applied as economic and environmental factors are understood.
Availability of raw materials for conversion to MES is increasing, particularly palm oil which
is growing at a rate of almost 3% per year. Demand for palm oil is expected to exceed soya as
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number one shortly after 2005.

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