The esterification of high fatty acid with alcohol was performed by coupling the vapor permeation of zeolite membrane and p-toluenesulfonic acid-catalyzed reaction. The use of a NaA zeolite membrane to in situ remove the water generated by the reaction could shift the equilibrium toward completion within a short reaction time. The VP-aided esterification process was well simulated using a simple model. Zeolite NaA membrane worked steadily in the vapor phase for a long time. The influence of operating parameters such as reaction temperature, ratio of membrane area to initial reaction volume, initial molar ratio of alcohol to acid and amount of catalyst on the performance of the combined process was investigated systematically. Based on the study, a series of high fatty esters were synthesized. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier B.V.