Renewable engine fuel and method of producing same

• US 9,145,566 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Swift Enterprises Ltd
• Original Assignee: Swift Fuels, LLC
• Inventors: Rusek, John J., Rusek, Mary-Louise R., Ziulkowski, Jonathon D., Zink, Justin D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Toomer, Cephia D
• Application Number:
  US14/062,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20140045239A1
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 1/2076 by a transformation in which at least one -C(=O)- moiety is eliminated
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 15/02 Monocyclic hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/02 of the alkali- or alkaline earth metals or beryllium
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/04 Alkali metals
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/20 Vanadium, niobium or tantalum
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/22 Vanadium
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/26 Chromium
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/28 Molybdenum
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/30 Tungsten
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/34 Manganese
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/50 Silver
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/72 Copper
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/745 Iron
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/75 Cobalt
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2523/755 Nickel
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2527/054 Sulfuric acid or other acids with the formula H2Sn03n+1
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 2527/173 Phosphoric acid or other acids with the formula Hn+2PnO3n+1
• CPC Class Codes: C07C 9/18 with five carbon atoms
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/00 Preparation of hydrocarbons or halogenated hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/005 aromatic naphthacene C12P29/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 5/02 : acyclic C12P5/007 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/065 : with microorganisms other than yeasts
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/10 : substrate containing cellulosic material
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/16 : Butanols
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/28 : Acetone-containing products
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/54 : Acetic acid vinegar C12J
• CPC Class Codes: C12P 7/56 : Lactic acid
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 : Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/678 : Aviation using fuels of non-fossil origin

Abstract

The present invention provides high-octane fuel, and a method of producing same. These fuels may be formulated to have a wide range of octane values and energy, and may effectively be used to replace 100 LL aviation fuel (known as AvGas), as well as high-octane, rocket, diesel, turbine engine fuels, as well as two-cycle, spark-ignited engine fuels.

Claims

1. A process for the production of a 100 octane aviation fuel from a biomass, comprising the steps of:

(a) fermenting a biomass with a microorganism of clostridium acetolbutylicum or a mutagen thereof to produce a mixture of metabolites comprising acetone and butanol;

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

(c) dimerizing a portion of resultant acetone from step (b) to form isopentane;

(d) trimerizing another portion of the acetone from step (b) to form mesitylene, and (e) mixing the mesitylene with the isopentane from steps (c) and (d), whereby to form high octane aviation fuel.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the biomass is selected from the group consisting of sugars, celluloses, lignins, starches, and lignocelluloses.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the biomass is selected from the group consisting of hard woods, grasses, corn stover, sorghum, corn fiber, and oat hulls, which are pretreated with enzymes or strong acids to break any hemicellulose chains into their sugar monomers.

4. The process of claim 1, wherein the fermentation in step (a) is conducted in an anaerobic reactor in the absence of oxygen.

5. The process of claim 1, wherein metabolites of acetone, butanol and ethanol from step (a) are stripped from the fermentation when concentrations thereof over 2 to 3 wt % are obtained, whereby to avoid poisoning of the organism clostridium acetolbutylicum or mutagens thereof.

6. The process of claim 1, wherein the trimerizing of acetone in step (d) is carried out in the gas phase by reacting acetone with sulfuric or phosphoric acid at elevated temperatures.

7. The process of claim 1, wherein the dimerization of acetone in step (c) is carried out in a catalytic reaction to yield isopentane.

8. The process of claim 7, wherein the dimerization of acetone in step (c) is carried out in a gas phase catalytic reaction.

9. The process of claim 1, wherein the trimerizing of acetone in step (d) is carried out in the presence of a catalyst.

13. The process of claim 1, wherein the trimerizing of acetone in step (c) is carried out in the presence of a catalyst.

10. A process for the production of an aviation fuel from a biomass, comprising the steps of:

(a) fermenting a biomass with a microorganism of clostridium acetolbutylicum or a mutagen thereof to produce a mixture of metabolites comprising acetone and butanol;

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

(c) trimerizing a portion of the acetone from step (b) to form mesitylene, and (d) mixing the mesitylene with isopentane.

11. The process of claim 10, wherein the fermentation in step (a) is conducted in an anaerobic reactor in the absence of oxygen.

12. The process of claim 10, wherein the trimerizing of acetone in step (c) is carried out in the gas phase by reacting acetone with sulfuric or phosphoric acid.