Biogenic fuel and method of making same

• US 8,907,150 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swift Enterprises Ltd
• Original Assignee: Swift Fuels, LLC
• Inventors: Rusek, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEISS, PAMELA HL
• Application Number:
  US13/217,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20120059205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 502/353, 502/240, 502/246, 502/247, 585/302, 585240-242
• US Class Current: 585/242
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 21/08 Silica
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 23/20 Vanadium, niobium or tantalum
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 37/03 Precipitation; Co-precipitation
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 1/2074 of only one compound
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 11/21 Alkatrienes; Alkatetraenes; Other alkapolyenes
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 11/22 containing carbon-to-carbon triple bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 11/28 containing carbon-to-carbon double bonds and carbon-to-carbon triple bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 15/02 Monocyclic hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/20 Vanadium, niobium or tantalum
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/22 Vanadium
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 4/10 from acyclic hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 5/03 of non-aromatic carbon-to-carbon double bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 5/08 of carbon-to-carbon triple bonds
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 9/18 with five carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1014 of vegetal origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/1018 of animal origin
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/4006 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/4012 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2300/4018 Spatial velocity, e.g. LHSV, WHSV
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/02 Gasoline
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/04 : Diesel oil
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 2400/08 : Jet fuel
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/44 : characterised by the catalyst used
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 3/50 : in the presence of hydrogen, hydrogen donors or hydrogen generating compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 45/32 : Selective hydrogenation of the diolefin or acetylene compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/02 : essentially based on components consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen only
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/023 : for spark ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/04 : essentially based on blends of hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/08 : for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1608 : Well defined compounds, e.g. hexane, benzene
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/1824 : mono-hydroxy
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 2203/00 : Fermentation products obtained from optionally pretreated or hydrolyzed cellulosic or lignocellulosic material as the carbon source
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/16 : Butanols
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/36 : produced from substrate containing grain or cereal material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 : Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 30/20 : using bio-feedstock
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/678 : Aviation using fuels of non-fossil origin

Abstract

A method of producing from a biomass mesitylene-isopentane fuel is provided. A biomass may be fermented to form acetone. The acetone is converted in a catalytic reactor to mesitylene and mesityl oxide. The mesitylene is separated in a phase separator and the organic face containing mesityl oxide is sent to a dehydration reactor, then to a demethylation reactor, and finally to a hydrogenation reactor from which isopentane is recovered. This isopentane is then mixed with the mesitylene to form the final mesitylene-isopentane fuel. The catalytic reaction with acetone employs catalysts of either niobium, vanadium or tantalum.

Claims

1. Method of producing a mesitylene-isopentane fuel, comprising:

(a) in a gas phase reaction passing acetone in contact with a catalyst at a temperature of from about 250°

C. to 400°

C., at a liquid hourly space velocity of from about 1 to 8, and at a pressure of from about 50 to 200 psi, said catalyst comprising from about 0.5 to 10 wt % of one or more metal oxides selected from the group consisting of vanadium oxide, niobium oxide, and tantalum oxide obtained from water soluble salts thereof, whereby to form reaction products in which a portion of the acetone feed is trimerized to form mesitylene, and the remainder of acetone feed is either dimerized to form mesityl oxide or other by-products;

(b) separating the mesitylene from other reaction products;

(c) converting said mesityl oxide in a series of reactions to isopentane by subjecting the mesityl oxide of step (a) to dehydration, demethylation, and hydrogenation; and

(d) mixing the separated mesitylene from step (b) with the isopentane obtained from step (c).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein acetone contacts the catalyst at a temperature of from about 275°

C. to 375°

C., at a liquid hourly space velocity of from about 2 to 8, and at a pressure of from about 75 to 175 psi.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the catalyst comprises from about 0.5 to 7.0 wt % of metal oxide.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the water soluble salts comprise one or more of vanadium oxalate, niobium oxalate, and tantalum oxalate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the metal oxides are impregnated on an acidic silicon-based substrate, and then the impregnated substrate is calcined at a temperature of from about 250°

C. to 350°

C. for a period of from about 11 to 22 hours.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said mesityl oxide in step (c) is subjected to a dehydration reaction to form as reaction products methyl isopropenyl acetylene and 4-methyl-1,2,4 pentatriene.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein reaction products from the dehydration reaction are subjected to a demethylation reaction to form as reaction products of isopropenyl acetylene and/or 1,2,4 pentatriene.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the isopropenyl acetylene and/or 1,2,4 pentatriene are all subjected to hydrogenation to form isopentane.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the acetone is derived from (a) fermenting a biomass to produce a mixture of metabolites comprising acetone and butanol;

and (b) separating the acetone from butanol and any ethanol or other solvents in the mixture by fractional distillation.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the acetone is derived from:

(a) fermenting a biomass to produce a mixture of metabolites comprising acetone and butanol; and

(b) acetone from butanol and any ethanol or other solvents in the mixture by fractional distillation.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the acetone is derived from:

(a) fermenting a biomass to produce a mixture of metabolites comprising acetone and butanol; and

(b) separating the acetone from butanol and any ethanol or other solvents in the mixture by fractional distillation.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the acetone is derived from:

(a) fermenting a biomass to produce a mixture of metabolites comprising acetone and butanol; and

(b) separating the acetone from butanol and any ethanol or other solvents in the mixture by fractional distillation.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the reaction products from step (a) are first subjected to a phase separation and then a fractional distillation to separate resultant mesitylene from other reaction products.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein step (a) results in a liquid effluent which is fed into a phase separator where it is separated into two phases, an aqueous phase and an organic phase.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the aqueous layer is then stripped of any remaining unreacted acetone, that is fed back into the reaction in step (a) above.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the organic phase is fed into a distillation column where mesitylene oxide and other by-products are recovered.

17. Method of producing a mesitylene-isopentane fuel, comprising:

(a) in a gas phase reaction passing acetone in contact with a catalyst at a temperature of from about 250°

C. to 400°

C. and the liquid hourly space velocity of from about 1 to 8, and at a pressure of from about 50 to 200 psi, said catalyst comprising from about 0.5 to 10 wt % of one or more metal oxides selected from the group consisting of vanadium oxide, niobium oxide, and tantalum oxide obtained from water soluble salts thereof, whereby to form reaction products in which a portion of the acetone feed is trimerized to form mesitylene, and the remainder of acetone feed is either dimerized to form mesityl oxide or other by-products;

(b) feeding liquid effluent from the reaction in step (a) above into a phase separator where it is separated into two phases, an aqueous and an organic phase;

(c) stripping the aqueous layer of any remaining unreacted acetone, that is fed back into the reaction in step (a) above;

(d) passing the organic phase into a distillation column where mesitylene, mesityl oxide and other by-products are recovered;

(e) passing recovered mesitylene from step (d) to a holding tank;

(f) converting said mesityl oxide in a series of reactions to isopentane by subjecting the mesityl oxide of step (a) to dehydration, demethylation, and hydrogenation; and

(g) mixing the separated mesitylene from step (e) with the isopentane obtained from step (f).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said mesityl oxide in step (f) is subjected to a dehydration reaction to form as reaction products methyl isopropenyl acetylene and 4-methyl-1,2,4 pentatriene.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said methyl isopropenyl acetylene and 4-methyl-1,2,4 pentatriene are subjected to a demethylation reaction to form as reaction products isopropenyl acetylene and/or 1,2,4 pentatriene.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein reaction products from the isopropenyl acetylene and/or 1,2,4, pentatriene are subjected to hydrogenation to form isopentane.

21. A method of producing mesitylene, comprising:

(a) in a gas phase reaction passing acetone in contact with a catalyst

at a temperature of from about 250 to 400°

C.,

at a liquid hourly space velocity of from about 1 to 8, and

at a pressure of from about 50 to 200 psi,

said catalyst comprising from about 0.5 to 10 wt % of one or more metal oxides selected from the group consisting of vanadium oxide, niobium oxide, and tantalum oxide, said gas phase reaction resulting in reaction products in which a portion of the acetone is trimerized to form mesitylene; and

(b) separating the mesitylene from other reaction products.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein acetone contacts the catalyst at a temperature of from about 275 to 375°

C., at a liquid hourly space velocity of from about 2 to 8, and at a pressure of from about 75 to 175 psi.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the catalyst comprises from about 0.5 to 7.0 wt % of metal oxide.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the vanadium oxide, niobium oxide or tantalum oxide is obtained from a water soluble salt thereof.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the water soluble salt comprises one or more of vanadium oxalate, niobium oxalate, and tantalum oxalate.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the acetone is derived from (a) fermenting a biomass to produce a mixture of metabolites comprising acetone and butanol;

and (b) separating the acetone from butanol and any ethanol or other solvents in the mixture by fractional distillation.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein step (b) comprises subjecting the reaction products from step (a) first to a phase separation and then to a fractional distillation to separate resultant mesitylene from other reaction products.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein step (a) results in a liquid effluent containing the reaction products, the liquid effluent being fed into a phase separator where it is separated into two phases, an aqueous phase and an organic phase.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the aqueous phase is stripped of any remaining unreacted acetone, the stripped acetone being fed back into the step (a) reaction.

30. A method of producing a fuel comprising mesitylene and isopentane, comprising:

(a) in a gas phase reaction passing acetone in contact with a catalyst

at a temperature of from about 250 to 400°

C.,

at a liquid hourly space velocity of from about 1 to 8, and

at a pressure of from about 50 to 200 psi,

said catalyst comprising from about 0.5 to 10 wt % of one or more metal oxides selected from the group consisting of vanadium oxide, niobium oxide, and tantalum oxide, said gas phase reaction resulting in reaction products in which a portion of the acetone is trimerized to form mesitylene;

(b) separating the mesitylene from other reaction products; and

(c) combining the mesitylene with isopentane.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein acetone contacts the catalyst at a temperature of from about 275 to 375°

C., at a liquid hourly space velocity of from about 2 to 8, and at a pressure of from about 75 to 175 psi.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the catalyst comprises from about 0.5 to 7.0 wt % of metal oxide.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein step (b) comprises subjecting the reaction products from step (a) first to a phase separation and then to a fractional distillation to separate resultant mesitylene from other reaction products.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein step (a) results in a liquid effluent containing the reaction products, the liquid effluent being fed into a phase separator where it is separated into two phases, an aqueous phase and an organic phase.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the aqueous phase is stripped of any remaining unreacted acetone, the stripped acetone being fed back into the step (a) reaction.