Clariant

CLARIANT IBERICA Production, S.A.

Clariant is a Swiss company specializing in specialty chemicals that was created in 1995 as a spin-off of Sandoz. The company is headquartered in Muttenz, with a corporate center in Pratteln, near Basel, Switzerland. Clariant manufactures a range of specialty chemical products based on seven main Business Units: Additives, Catalysts, Functional Minerals, Industrial and Consumer Specialties, Pigments Masterbatches, Oil and Mining Services. The company expanded with the incorporation of the specialty chemicals business of Hoechst (Germany) in 1997 and the acquisition of British Tar Products (BTP plc) in 2000. In 2011, Clariant acquired the German specialty chemical company Sd-Chemie. Clariant is present in 76 different countries with over 100 companies worldwide. The headquarters for Spain and Portugal is located in El Prat de Llobregat with 4 production plants: Tarragona, Sant Andreu de la Barca, Yuncos, and Arziniega.

ESTERIFICATION OF FATTY ACIDS FROM OLIVE OIL WITH GLYCERIN

The fatty acids obtained from olive oil refineries are of increasing interest, not only as raw material for biodiesel production but also because they contain valuable components such as sterols, vitamin A, squalene... The isolation process of these substances starts with the esterification of the free fatty acids.

The objective of the project is to study the esterification reaction carried out in a stirred tank reactor, seeking the best process conditions (temperature, pressure, and catalyst) to avoid the degradation of these substances. Since the process has not been implemented yet, simulating the process and comparing the performance between a stirred tank reactor and a loop reactor will help make the final decision.