DEVICES AND METHODS FOR SELECTIVE REMOVAL OF CONTAMINANTS FROM A COMPOSITION

• US 20080197052A1
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mcneff Research Consultants, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Mcneff Research Consultants, Inc.
• Inventors: Yan, Bingwen, McNeff, Larry C., McNeff, Clayton V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,585,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 208/263
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 15/00 Separating processes involving the treatment of liquids with solid sorbents using liquid sorbents B01D11/00; ion exchange processes or materials, sorbent materials in general B01J, e.g. sorbents for chromatography B01J20/281; for investigating or analysing materials G01N30/00; Apparatus therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/0211 Compounds of Ti, Zr, Hf
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/06 comprising oxides or hydroxides of metals not provided for in group B01J20/04
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/08 comprising aluminium oxide or hydroxide; comprising bauxite
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 25/00 Refining of hydrocarbon oils in the absence of hydrogen, with solid sorbents
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C11B 3/10 by adsorption
• CPC Class Codes: C11C 3/003 by esterification of fatty acids with alcohols C11C3/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

The present invention relates to devices and methods for selectively removing contaminants from a crude product mixture. In an embodiment, the invention includes a method for removing free organic acids from a crude product mixture including contacting the crude product mixture with a metal oxide substrate, the metal oxide substrate having properties sufficient to bond with free organic acids in the crude product mixture, thereby removing free organic acids and forming a refined product mixture, and separating the refined product mixture from the metal oxide substrate. In an embodiment, the invention includes a device for removal of free organic acids from a crude product mixture including a first housing defining an interior volume, an input port, and an output port, and metal oxide media disposed within the first housing, the metal oxide media comprising a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of zirconia, alumina, hafnia, and titania. Other embodiments are also described herein.

Claims

1. A method for removing organic acids from a crude product mixture comprising:

contacting the crude product mixture with a metal oxide substrate, wherein free organic acids in the crude product mixture bind to the metal oxide substrate, thereby removing free organic acids and forming a refined product mixture; and

separating the refined product mixture from the metal oxide substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, the metal oxide substrate comprising Lewis acid sites and Lewis base sites sufficient to bond with free organic acids.

3. The method of claim 1, the metal oxide substrate comprising Bronsted base sites sufficient to bond with free organic acids.

4. The method of claim 1, the metal oxide substrate comprising Bronsted acid sites sufficient to bond with free organic acids.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing organic acids bound to the metal oxide substrate by combustion.

6. The method of claim 1, the organic acids comprising fatty acids, further comprising removing fatty acids bound to the metal oxide substrate by contacting the metal oxide substrate with a C₁-C₆ alcohol at supercritical conditions, thereby forming a fatty acid alkyl ester product composition.

7. The method of claim 6, the C₁-C₆ alcohol comprising methanol.

8. The method of claim 1, the crude product mixture comprising an organic acid containing material selected from the group consisting of rapeseed oil, soybean oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil, grape seed oil, mustard seed oil, corn oil, linseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, poppy-seed oil, pecan oil, walnut oil, oat oil, peanut oil, rice bran oil, camellia oil, castor oil, and olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, rice oil, algae oil, seaweed oil, and Chinese Tallow tree oil.

9. The method of claim 1, the crude product mixture comprising a fatty acid alkyl ester composition.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least about 95% of the free organic acids in the crude product mixture bind to the metal oxide substrate.

11. The method of claim 1, the metal oxide comprising a porous metal oxide.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal oxide is selected from the group consisting of zirconia, alumina, hafnia and titania.

13. The method of claim 12, the metal oxide comprising zirconia.

14. The method of claim 1, the metal oxide substrate comprising a particulate metal oxide, the particulate metal oxide comprising an average particle size of about 0.2 microns to about 1 millimeter.

15. The method of claim 1, the metal oxide substrate disposed within a housing, the operation of contacting the crude product mixture with a metal oxide substrate comprising pumping the crude product mixture into the housing.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of contacting the crude product mixture with a metal oxide substrate was performed as a temperature less than about 100 degrees Celsius.

17. A device for removal of free organic acids from a crude product mixture comprising:

a first housing defining an interior volume, an input port, and an output port;

metal oxide media disposed within the first housing, the metal oxide media comprising a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of zirconia, alumina, hafnia, and titania; and

a temperature control unit configured to maintain the temperature within the first housing within a first temperature range for a first period of time and within a second temperature range for a second period of time following the first period, the second range higher than the first range.

18. The device of claim 17, the metal oxide media packed within the interior volume of the first housing.

19. The device of claim 17, further comprising a sensor in fluid communication with the output port, the sensor configured to determine the concentration of organic acids in a sample composition.

20. A system for producing a refined oil product comprising:

a production reactor for producing a crude oil product mixture, the reactor comprising a lipid reservoir, and an alcohol reservoir; and

an organic acid removal reactor in fluid communication with the production reactor, the organic acid removal reactor comprising a housing defining an interior volume, the housing configured to receive the crude oil product mixture from the production reactor, metal oxide media disposed within the interior volume of the removal reactor housing, the metal oxide media comprising a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of zirconia, alumina, hafnia, and titania.