Calimbas, Bea Mariz D.
1410617
PRODUCTION OF FATTY ACID METHYL ESTER VIA CONTINUOUS ALKALI-CATALYZED TRANS-ESTERIFICATION OF
COCONUT OIL USING METHANOL
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAME) have made a reputation in the primary oleochemicals
produced. This is market in a large-scale feedstock for various manufacturing industries and
have increasingly replaced fatty acids as starting material for many oleochemicals. This has
been primarily used in the production of cosmetics, detergents and surfactants, emulsifiers
and thickeners in food industry, preferred detergent in leather industry, and bio-solvent in
adhesive, pesticide, coating and paint Industries. The FAME is popularly attributed to the
Biodiesel since, it can be used as a substitute for fuel.
The fatty acid methyl ester derived from coconut has a light to dark yellow liquid, and
has a viscosity similar to petro diesel. It is practically immiscible with water, has a high boiling point and low vapor pressure.
MARKET IN THE PHILIPPINES
Market Opportunity
Increasing Demand
Biofuels Act of 2006 – created a market for biodiesel through the required blend of the product with the standard
diesel oil.
Exports
Further Increase in Blend from 2% to 5% will spur demand for CME.
Philippine Advantage
Abundance of Raw Material
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68 out of 79 provinces are coconut areas covering 1195 municipalities.
About 331 million coconut trees planted in about 3.3 million hectares of land.
2010 coconut production: 15.54 Million MT
Sustained supply of coconut oil
CME Production
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Total Coconut Production per Year: 75% for export, 25% for
domestic use.
Less than 5% of the 25% is for the CME Production (or 65,000 –
70,000 MT)
Support Industries
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Contact Growing Scheme – farmers enter into arrangements with processors or manufacturers.
Human Resources
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Availability
o Many readily available farm and factory workers knowledgeable on the details and technicalities
of farming and manufacturing in the Philippines.
o Big labor force that is highly skilled, educated, English-proficient and with strong and good work
ethics.
EXISTING MANUFACTURERS/SUPPLIERS IN THE PHILIPPINES
Industry Potential
Growth Rate in Number of Industry Players

11 BOI and DOE-Registered CME-producing companies from 2005 until 2011
AVAILABILITY OF PRIMARY RAW MATERIALS IN PHILIPPINES AND ITS SOURCES
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68 out of 81 provinces are coconut areas covering 1195 municipalities.
About 338.7 million coconut trees planted in about 3.6 million hectares of land.
2010 coconut production: 15.54 Million MT
Sustained supply of coconut oil
PROCESS
1. Esterification of Coconut Oil via Colgate-Emery Process
1.1 Continuous Countercurrent Fat Splitting
The continuous countercurrent, high pressure fat-splitting process, more popularly known as the ColgateEmery process, is the most efficient of the current methods of hydrolysis. The high temperature and pressure used permit
shorter reaction time. Full countercurrent flow of oil and water produces a high degree of splitting without the need of a
catalyst. However, a catalyst may be used to increase reaction rate further.
The splitting tower is the heart of the process. Most splitting towers have the same configuration and basically
operate the same way. Depending on the capacity, the tower can be 508-1220 mm in diameter and 18-25 m high and is
made of corrosion resistant material such as stainless steel 316 or Inconel alloy designed to operate at a pressure of about
5000 kPa. The Lurgi single-stage countercurrent splitting plant has a water introduced near the top at a ratio of 40-50%
of the weight of fat. The high splitting temperature (250-260°C) ensures adequate dissolution of the water phase into the
fat so that mechanical means for bringing the two phases into contact are not required.
The continuous countercurrent high-pressure process splits fats and oils more than other processes in a reaction
time of only 2-3 hours.
REACTION INVOLVE:
1.2 Continuous Countercurrent Esterification of Fatty Acids Using Double Plate Reaction Column
Esterification is the reaction of an acid with an alcohol in the presence of a catalyst to form an ester.
Henkel has developed a continuous countercurrent esterification process using a double plate reaction column.
The technology is based on the principle of an esterification reaction with the simultaneous absorption of the superheated
methanol vapour and desorption of the methanol-water mixture.
The reaction is carried out at a pressure of approximately 1000kPa and a temperature of 240°C. One advantage
of this process is the excess methanol can be kept significantly lower at 1.5:1 molar ratio of methanol:fatty acid versus the
batch process at 3-1:1 molar ratio. The methyl ester having undergone distillation, does not require further refining. The
excess methanol is rectified and reused.
REACTION INVOLVE:
2. Alkali-Catalyzed Transesterification of Unrefined Coconut Oil using Methanol (Henkel Process)
Unrefined oil, methanol in excess, and catalyst are metered and heated to 240°C before feeding into the reactor.
The bulk of the excess methanol is flashed off as it leaves the reactor and is fed to a bubble tray column for purification.
The recovered methanol is recycled into the system.
The mixture from the reactor enters a separator where the glycerine in excess of 90% concentration is removed.
The methyl ester is subsequently fed to a distillation column for purification.
REACTION INVOLVED:
3. Alkali-Catalyzed Transesterification of Degummed and Deacidified Coconut Oil using Methanol (Lurgi Process)
3.1 Dry Acid Degumming of Coconut Oil
Dry acid degumming is particularly suitable for processing oils with low gum contents such as palm oil, coconut
oil, palm kernel oil or animal fats. Intensive mixing is implemented following addition of acid to the pre-heated crude
oil. The conditioned gums are absorbed into the bleaching earth and are separated by filtration.
REACTION INVOLVED:
3.2 Transesterification of Degummed Coconut Oil
The process requires the use of a degummed and deacified feedstock. The refined vegetable oil and methanol
are reacted in a two-stage mixer-settler arrangement in the presence of a catalyst. The glycerine produced in the
reaction, dissolved in the surplus methanol, is recovered in the rectification column. Most of the entrained methanol
and glycerine are recovered from the methyl ester in the countercurrent scrubber.
References:
http://innoleague.com/Coconut%20oil%20and%20derivates.pdf
https://www.ingredientsnetwork.com/fatty-acid-methyl-ester-prod1003704.html
http://boi.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Coco-Methyl-Ester.pdf