Fatty Acid Esterification with Polyols over Acidic Montmorillonite.

The production of fatty acid esters from stearic, oleic, and palmitic acids and polyols (ethylene glycol and glycerol) was investigated in this work. A series of montmorillonite-based clays catalysts (KSF, KSF/0, KP10, and K10), having different physicochemical properties, were used as acidic catalysts. The influence of the specific surface area and the acidity of the catalysts on the esterification rate were explored.