2537.     ---------------.  [OSBORNE, R. M.]  Extraction of Fatty Acids From Dilute Aqueous Solutions From the Fischer Process.  FIAT Tech. Bull. T-35, May 1, 1947, 1 p.

        Hoesch Benzin plant at Dortmund has been recovering the oxygenated products in the water layer condensed from the Fischer-Tropsch process.  This plant operated at medium pressure (7 atm.) with the Co catalyst at 200° and treated about 150 m.³ of the condensation H₂O per day.  The solution 1^st made alkaline to prevent corrosion, was distilled to give an approximately 30% alcohol solution in the overhead; the alcohols range from ethyl to octyl.  The ethyl, propyl, and butyl alcohols were separated, and the higher alcohols were sold to the lacquer trade.  The bottoms of the distillation were acidified with H₂SO₄ to a pH of 5, and the free fatty acids, corresponding to about 0.4% of the total primary synthesis product, were extracted with naphtha.  About 200% naphtha based on the water was circulated.  This extracted only the C₄ and higher acids.  The recovered acids, amounting to about 1 ton per day, found use in boring oil.  Degussa developed a method of extracting lower fatty acids from dilute solutions using ethyl acetate.