Process for the reduction of fatty esters

Claim 1

IN THE PROCESS OF PREPARING FATTY ALCOHOLS, FROM FATTY ESTERS IN WHICH THE ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS CONTAINING FROM 16 TO 22 CARBON ATOMS PREDOMINATE, BY REACTING THE FATTY ESTERS WTIH ALKALI METAL AND A REDUCING ALCOHOL CONTAINING AT LEAST 4 CARBON ATOMS, BOTH IN AMOUNTS SUBSTANTIALLY CHEMICALLY EQUIVALENT TO THAT REQUIRED FOR SAID REACTION, IN THE PRESENCE OF A SOLVENT THAT IS CHEMICALLY INERT IN SAID REACTION AND IN AMOUNT AT LEAST SUFFICIENT TO MAINTAIN THE REACTION MIXTURE IN A FLUID STATE, SAID REDUCING ALCOHOL AND INERT SOLVENT BEING SOLUBLE IN THE HEREINAFTER MENTIONED NON-AQUEOUS PHASE AND SUBSTANTIALLY INSOLUBLE IN THE HEREINAFTER MENTIONED AQUEOUS PHASE, AND QUENCHING THE REACTED MIXTURE IN WATER, WHEREIN STABLE EMULSIONS ARE ORDINARILY FORMED DURING THE QUENCHING OPERATION, THE COMBINATION OF STEPS WHICH COMPRISES AS STEP (1)INCREASING THE RESIDUAL WEIGHT RATIO OF REDUCING ALCOHOL TO INERT SOLVENT IN THE QUENCH MIXTURE TO A VALUE WHICH IS GREATER THAN 1.7/1 AND AT WHICH SAID EMULSIONS ARE UNSTABLE, SAID STEP 1 INCLUDING REMOVING AND WITHHOLDING INSERT SOLVENT FROM THE QUENCH MIXTURE, AND STEP (2)-SEPARATING THE AQUEOUS PHASE IN THE QUENCH MIXTURE FROM THE NON-AQUEOUS PHASE.