Methods and apparatus for producing alkyl esters from lipid feed stocks and systems including same
First Claim
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1. A process for producing alkyl esters comprising:
- mixing a lipid feed stock with an alcohol to form a reaction mixture;
contacting the reaction mixture with a catalyst under supercritical pressure and temperature conditions for the alcohol to form reaction products, the catalyst consisting essentially of an unmodified metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, and hafnia, andremoving residual free fatty acids from the reaction products.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for producing alkyl esters from lipid feed stocks, such as plant oils and/or animal fats, and systems including the same. In an embodiment, the invention includes a process for producing alkyl esters including mixing a lipid feed stock with an alcohol to form a reaction mixture; and contacting the reaction mixture with a catalyst under supercritical conditions for the alcohol, the catalyst comprising an unmodified metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, and hafnia, and removing residual free fatty acids from the reaction mixture. Other embodiments are included herein.
126 Citations
24 Claims
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1. A process for producing alkyl esters comprising:
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mixing a lipid feed stock with an alcohol to form a reaction mixture; contacting the reaction mixture with a catalyst under supercritical pressure and temperature conditions for the alcohol to form reaction products, the catalyst consisting essentially of an unmodified metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, and hafnia, and removing residual free fatty acids from the reaction products. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 23)
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17. A process for producing alkyl esters comprising:
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mixing a lipid feed stock with an alcohol to form a reaction mixture; contacting the reaction mixture with a catalyst under supercritical pressure and temperature conditions for the alcohol to form reaction products, the catalyst consisting essentially of a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, and hafnia, wherein the metal oxide has been treated with a Brø
nsted acid or a Brø
nsted base, andremoving residual free fatty acids from the reaction products. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A process for producing alkyl esters via transesterification or esterification from a feed stock comprising:
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mixing the feed stock with an alcohol to form a reaction mixture, the feed stock comprising a triglyceride and/or a carboxylic acid; and pumping the reaction mixture into a housing comprising a porous catalyst, the porous catalyst comprising an average particle size of about 1 μ
m to about 100 μ
m, the temperature and pressure within the housing comprising supercritical pressure and temperature conditions for the alcohol, the porous catalyst comprising an unmodified metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, and hafnia andcollecting a reaction product from the housing, the reaction product comprising esters in an amount at least equal to 80% of the triglyceride or carboxylic acid in the feed stock on a molar basis.
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24. A process for producing alkyl esters comprising:
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mixing a lipid feed stock with an alcohol to form a reaction mixture; contacting the reaction mixture with a catalyst under supercritical pressure and temperature conditions for the alcohol to form reaction products, the catalyst comprising an unmodified metal oxide selected from the group consisting of alumina, titania, zirconia, and hafnia, wherein contacting the reaction mixture with a catalyst is performed with a residence time of less than about 60 seconds, and removing residual free fatty acids from the reaction products.
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Specification