Splitting of Fats and Oils

Most naturally occurring fats and oils are composed of fatty acids and a polyfunctional
alcohol (glycerol), bound together by an ester linkage. The splitting of this ester linkage
with water allows the isolation and purification of the fatty acid components that can then
be derivatised into a huge number of molecules (other esters, amides, imidazolines, etc.)
This makes splitting the most fundamental process within the oleochemical industry.
Hydrogenation of the acid group will give fatty alcohols, an essential feedstock for
ethoxylation, which is further discussed below. The by-product from fat splitting is
glycerol, which is also recovered, and this has many diverse applications as the pure
compound itself, or as a building block for other chemical derivatives.
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Esterification

The fatty acids isolated from fats and oils after the splitting process are not single
molecular species, but are mixtures of longer or shorter chain acids, with more or less
unsaturation in the chain. This then leads to the possibility of further fractionation to
isolate or concentrate up these individual components. If these different grades of fatty
acids are combined in a controlled way with different alcohols, or polyalcohol species
(polyols), then a huge number of different esters can be made. This big range of possible
esters finds use in a large range of end applications.

Alkoxylation

The ability to combine fatty acids, fatty alcohols, and other alcohols or polyols creates a
range of feedstocks that can produce a wide variety of products going into many end
uses. However, for a number of commercial applications, even this product variety is
insufficient. The structural elements are too simple to give fine control over the
application effect required. Fortunately, it is possible to tailor these simple structural
elements using ethylene oxide (EO) and propylene oxide (PO). These variations are
particularly useful when adjusting the water solubility of a product in surfactant systems.
Addition of EO to an acid or alcohol makes the product more water soluble, while
addition of PO makes the product more oil soluble.

The ability to control molecular structure based upon these three technologies is therefore
complementary, by the combination of isolating a fatty acid stream of choice, optionally
reducing this to a fatty alcohol, combining these with other acids or alcohols, and then
refining these molecular properties to the final customer requirements with EO or PO.

Condensation

In addition to fatty acid esterification, other simple bond forming processes can be used
to generate structures that create high performance products. Condensation of hydroxy
fatty acids with itself or polyols, or a combination of polyols or alkanolamines with
anhydride structures are employed in the formation of polymeric surfactants or alkenyl
succinic anhydride condensates. Similar chemistry is used in the manufacture of dialkyl
sulphosuccinates. Amines, or alkanolamines can be condensed with fatty acids to form
amides, or alkanolamides.

Oligomerisation

Polymerisation of a small number of monomers to give a limited repeating unit is known

as oligomerisation. For example, alkyl poly glucoside is formed by the polymerisation of
glucose onto a fatty alcohol chain. Again, this type of molecular building is used in a
number of the polymeric surfactant products.

Additional Technologies
Modification with a number of additional technologies can change the fundamental
properties of more common products into higher performing materials. Some of the
modifying chemistries employed by Uniqema include hydrogenation (in the reduction of
unsaturation in fatty acids), alkylation (for methylation and carboxymethylation
reactions), phosphation (to create phosphate esters or phospholipids), and even catalysis
variation (for the generation of new varieties of established products).

Carbohydrate Chemistry

Although a number of the Uniqema product ranges have been established using
carbohydrate feedstocks (glycerol, sorbitol and sucrose), there is still intense interest in
exploiting further the use of starch or sugar based materials. In combination with some of
the established technology platforms, this should prove to be a fertile area for innovation.

Polymerics

Polymeric feedstocks and surfactants are features of the Uniqema capabilities that have
been developed over time for specific applications. These technologies have particular
relevance when they create effects in systems where conventional materials do not
perform as well. Examples of these are the dimer acid and polymeric surfactant
technologies. These are only the first steps into a potentially much broader field.

Silicones

Use of silicone derivatives in many areas has been restricted by the cost of these
materials. Uniqema is now seeking to offer low cost but highly effective silicone based
materials into a variety of applications where they have previously been uncompetitive.

Biotranformations
The use of enzyme technology and other biological tools offer a further dimension to the
established platforms, and may in future offer customers the competitive edge they need
to succeed where other technology cannot deliver the effect required.