New Crystallization of Fatty Acids from Aqueous Ethanol Solution Combined with Liquid−Liquid Extraction

A new separation process of saturated fatty acids (lauric acid−myristic acid) using crystallization from an aqueous ethanol solution has been examined. There were two vessels in this separation process:  an extraction vessel and a crystallization vessel. The fatty acids in the aqueous phase were first extracted from their organic phase (melt) in the extraction vessel. The fatty acids in the aqueous phase were continuously introduced to the crystallization vessel, and then the fatty acids were crystallized there. The crystals of the fatty acids were collected continuously above the aqueous phase in the crystallization vessel. In this process, the yield and the purity of the crystals over time were measured, and it was found that the purity of lauric acid increased unsteadily up to 0.98 mole fraction of lauric acid with an increase in the yield of the low yield range. The mole fraction of ethanol in the aqueous phase could be significant to control the relationship between the yield and the purity of the cr...