The preparation of fatty acid esters by means of catalytic reactions

A review of actually available techniques for the preparation of esters derived form natural oils and fats is presented. A wide choice of catalysts, either homogeneous or heterogeneous, is currently available. This paper evaluates in detail the possibilities for the preparation of fatty acid esters with different alcohols and discusses the criteria for a correct choice. The different problems related to the preparation of esters with low molecular weight monoalcohols and of polyolesters with polyalcohols are discussed. The last part of the paper is devoted to the evaluation of ion-exchange resins as effective catalysts for the preparation of fatty acid esters with low molecular weight monoalcohols.