Page 6 - Microsoft Word - Methyl Ester Sulfonate Products 5th Cesio v19,R1.doc

METHYL ESTER

The coconut, palm and tallow based methyl ester (ME) feedstocks used in this study are
typical of commercially available material. The distillation cuts are narrow, mostly
incorporating just two carbon numbers, Table 1. The iodine value (IV) for these four
feedstocks is 0.3 or less. The IV of methyl esters is used as a measure to predict intermediate
10
digested acid color and final bleached product color but other components besides
11
unsaturation have a significant influence. The palm stearin methyl ester feedstock used in
12
this study is a typical sulfonation feedstock for use in laundry detergent formulations. For
this palm stearin ME the C16 to C18 ratio is 2:1. MES with this carbon –chain distribution
has a minimum Krafft point (17°C) and thus maximum solubility as compared to any other
13
combination of C16 and C18. This is a useful feature for formulating low temperature
laundry detergents. For the tallow methyl ester feedstock used in this study the C16 to C18
ratio is 1:2. The Krafft point of the resulting sulfonate would be closer to 27°C. The coconut
methyl ester feedstock used in this study has a C12 to C14 ratio of 2.5:1. The palm kernel
methyl ester feedstock used in this study, Table 1, has an IV of 1.4 indicating about a 90%
14
reduction in unsaturation by hydrogenation since the palm kernel oil is up to 19% oleic.
This particular feedstock has the complete carbon-chain distribution of the palm kernel oil.
15
The C10 and lower methyl esters are usually stripped from the feedstock, as the sulfonates
of the corresponding methyl esters should not have good detergent properties. The unrefined
nature of this feedstock would be reflected in its cost so it was of interest. The soya methyl
ester feedstock used in this study, Table 1, has an IV of 1.1 indicating about a 99% reduction
16
in unsaturation since soybean oil is about 30% oleic, 50% linoleic and 7% linolenic. As
expected the composition of this feedstock is almost 90% C18. This feedstock requires a
relatively large amount of hydrogenation to reduce the IV to a sulfonatable level, but it
represents a renewable source of predominately C18 methyl ester so it was of interest.

Table 1: Methyl Ester Feedstocks and Quality Comparison
Coconut Palm Palm Palm Tallow Soya
C 12 -C 14 Kernel C 16 Stearin C 16 -C 18 C 18
C 8-C 18 C 16-C 18
Molecular weight 222 227 270 279 287 295
Iodine value (cg iodine/g ME) 0.1 1.4 0.2 0.3 0.1 1.1
Carboxylic acid (wt%) 0.1 0.2 0.1 N/a 0.1 1.0
Acid value (mg KOH/g ME) 0.2 0.5 0.2 0.4 3.8 0.4
Saponification no. (mg KOH/g ME) 252 240 N/a N/a N/a N/a
Freeze point (°C) 0 18 24 26 31 33
Moisture (wt%) 0.03 0.03 0.02 0.02 0.04 0.01
Carbon-chain length (wt%)
<C10 0.0 5.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
C10 0.0 4.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
C12 71.5 51.0 0.5 0.2 0.0 0.0
C14 28.0 15.1 1.0 1.5 3.1 0.0
C16 0.6 7.2 95.0 65.4 31.6 10.4
C17 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.2 0.0
C18 0.0 17.2 3.5 32.2 63.6 89.6
>C18 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 1.8 0.0

CONFIDENTIAL
All information and technical data contained in this proposal are CONFIDENTIAL, are the property of The Chemithon Corporation, and are
to be used only by the addressee to evaluate this proposal. Use, disclosure, distribution or duplication for any other purpose or to any person
or organization except the addressee without prior, written permission from The Chemithon Corporation is strictly prohibited.