Twitchell Process

Abstract

This reaction is an industrial process for hydrolyzing fats and oils into fatty acids and glycerol, which is generally carried out in a loosely closed wooden, lead‐lined or acid‐resistant vat where the mixtures of fats or oils, water, sulfuric acid, and sulfonated mixture of oleic or other fatty acid (e.g., stearylsulfonic acid) and naphthalene are boiled for 36–48 h using open steam. The process is often repeated, and the glycerol solution is drawn off after each stage; the fatty acids produced are used for soap, while glycerol is primarily used for explosives (i.e., glycerol dynamite). In the literature, this process is generally known as the Twitchell process. The study finds some limitations of this process. This process has been used to produce fatty acids for soap and glycerol for explosive but has not been currently used.

Cooperative Catalytic Transfer for One-Pot Hydrolysis/Hydrogenation of Refined Palm Oil Using Formic Acid as a Hydrogen Source

“…Hydrolysis reactions can be successfully carried out by the Twitchell, Eisenlohr, and Colgate-Emery processes. 11,12 For the hydrogenation reactions, high hydrogen (H 2 ) pressures (∼15 bar) and temperatures close to 200 °C are required. 3 Based on the above, it is evident that two major issues must be addressed: (i) the integration of the hydrolysis and hydrogenation reactions in a one-pot process and (ii) the replacement of high-pressure H 2 , which requires substantial infrastructure expenses at an industrial scale, acting as an economic obstacle to the development of a sustainable hydrogenation industry.…”

“…The usual way of obtaining saturated fatty acids is through the hydrolysis of the oil, followed by hydrogenation in separate processes under different conditions. Hydrolysis reactions can be successfully carried out by the Twitchell, Eisenlohr, and Colgate-Emery processes. , For the hydrogenation reactions, high hydrogen (H 2 ) pressures (∼15 bar) and temperatures close to 200 °C are required …”