RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 Eco-efficient hydrolysis of coconut oil: a continuous hydrothermal and water-only process for the production of oleochemicals
A1 Menalla, Enkeledo
A1 Martin, Diego
A1 Vaquerizo Martín, Luis
A1 Tester, Jefferson W.
A1 Cocero Alonso, María José
A1 Cantero Sposetti, Danilo Alberto
K1 Green chemistry
K1 Biodiesel fuels
K1 Biomass energy
K1 Biomasa
K1 Water
K1 Hidrólisis
K1 Desarrollo sostenible
K1 23 Química
AB A continuous hydrothermal process using water as reaction medium was investigated for the selectivehydrolysis of triglycerides under sub- and supercritical conditions. The process was operated in continuousflow at 250–400 °C and 22–25 MPa with residence times between <1 s and <60 s, enabling controlledpartial or near-complete hydrolysis without added catalysts, organic solvents and expensive enzymes. At 380 °C and 25 MPa, selective partial hydrolysis yielded up to 51 wt% mono-diglycerides and 32 wt% fatty acids at a residence time of 23 s. The process was demonstrated at a pilot scale with a throughput of 30 kg h−1 and stable operation at high oil concentrations up to 34 wt% in the reactor. Integration of counter-current heat recovery reduced the external energy demand by up to 61%, addressing the high energy intensity typically associated with supercritical water processing. Hydrolysates enriched in mono- and diglycerides exhibited strong emulsifying performance and long-term stability up to 1 year, comparable to that of a commercial emulsifier. These results show that continuous, water-only hydrothermal hydrolysis enables rapid and selective triglyceride conversion within an energy-integrated and scalable process configuration.
PB Royal Society of Chemistry
SN 1463-9262
YR 2026
FD 2026
LK https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83804
UL https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/83804
LA eng
NO Green Chemistry, 2026, (Advance Article), 20 págs.
NO Producción Científica
DS UVaDOC
RD 25-mar-2026