Use of a mixture of esters of fatty acids as fuel or solvent

• US 20050261144A1
• Filed: 11/20/2003
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Polimeri Europa SPA (Eni Petroleum Company Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Polimeri Europa SPA (Eni Petroleum Company Incorporated)
• Inventors: Notari, Marcello, Rivetti, Franco
• Granted Patent: US 7,462,206 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 508/462
• CPC Class Codes: C07D 317/36 Alkylene carbonates; Substituted alkylene carbonates
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/02 essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

The invention relates to the use of a mixture, comprising one or more alkyl esters of fatty acids and one or more esters of fatty acids of glycerol carbonate, as a fuel or solvent.

Claims

1. The use as a fuel or solvent of a mixture comprising one or more alkyl esters of fatty acids having formula (I):

RCOOR′

and one or more esters of fatty acids of glycerol carbonate having formula (ii);

2. The use according to claim 1, wherein in the esters having formula (I) and (II):

R represents a mono- or polyunsaturated, linear, branched or cyclic alkyl or alkenyl radical, containing from 8 to 22 carbon atoms;

R′

represents a linear or branched alkyl radical containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms.

3. The use according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the esters of fatty acids of glycerol carbonate are present in the mixture in a weight percentage ranging from 10 to 40%.

4. The use according to any of the previous claims, as fuel for diesel cycle engines.

5. Fuel compositions comprising the mixture of esters as defined in claims 1 to 3, added to mineral gasoil.

6. Fuel compositions comprising the mixture of esters as defined in claims 1 to 3, and at least one additive for fuels.

7. The use according to claims 1, 2 or 3 as a conventional industrial solvent.

8. Solvent compositions comprising the mixture of esters as defined in claims 1, 2 or 3, formulated together with water and surfactants.

9. A process for the preparation of a mixture comprising one or more alkyl esters of fatty acids having formula (I):

RCOOR′

and one or more esters of fatty acids of glycerol carbonate having formula (II);

10. The process according to claim 9, wherein, before the addition of the catalyst, the water is extracted from the reagents by means of azeotropic distillation with an organic azeotrope-forming solvent.

11. The process according to claim 10, wherein, when the alkyl carbonate to be reacted is dimethyl carbonate or diethyl carbonate, the azeotrope-forming solvent consists of the same dialkyl carbonates.