Because of the increasing demand of consumers and industry for ''green
'' products, the importance of the oleochemistry will grow in the futu
re. This paper shows that the modern oleochemistry has developed from
''soap-boiling'' to a part of the chemical industry which requires all
elements of chemical engineering. A wide and pretentious area of acti
vities concerning unit operations and reaction technology is offered t
o the chemical engineer. The thermal sensitivity of raw materials and
products results in high demands in the production process.