Separation of rosin and fatty acids from tall oil by selective chlorination

Tall oil is a mixture of rosin acids, fatty acids, and non-acids resulting from acidification of the soaps separating out from the kraft pulp process evaporator liquor.

The present uses of tall oil center chiefly around its fatty acid content, but are limited for some purposes because of the rosin content. Separation of these constituents makes each available as such. The rosin, as crystalline abietic acid, has specific possibilities as a raw material.

Rosin and fatty acids are separated chiefly by distillation, although chemical means and extraction have been proposed to overcome such objections as corrosion and losses as pitch, incurred in distillation. Chlorination is used as a step in the purification of tall oil, or to produce a sticky chlorinated oil, but no separation based on the use of chlorine appears to have been proposed.

It was proposed in this investigation to chlorinate the fatty acid double bonds in hopes that the properties of this product would be such as to permit of a separation. The effects of solvent, light, heat, and catalysts were studied to determine the optimum conditions for such a reaction, and the effect of chlorination upon the rosin and fatty acids, respectively, under specific conditions was determined,

It was found that the use of CCl₄ solvent and ultraviolet light accelerate chlorine consumption and promote the addition of chlorine, but do not entirely stifle the substitution reaction. Rosin and fatty acid double bonds are attacked to about an equal extent under these conditions. The chlorinated oil is entirely soluble in most common solvents at room temperature. Petroleum ether insolubles increase slightly over the amount obtained from untreated oil.

It is recommended that the range of chlorination conditions be extended to a more complete study of possible results, and that other chemical attacks be investigated.