Background: Highly pure alkyl esters especially methyl lactate have a very important and wide range of applications at an industrial level. The products formed in conventional processes are impure with residues of sodium sulphate and are corrosive; separation processes are expensive and energy intensive. In most of the processes alkali metal is wasted in its sulfate form- cannot be recycled. Technology Description: NCL’s process uses alkali metal carboxylate salts to convert to its respective pure alkyl esters by a single direct esterification step.