MANUFACTURING OF NITROGEN-CONTAINING MATERIALS

• US 20150321967A1
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Published: 11/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gestalt Chemical Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Gestalt Chemical Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Oliferenko, Alexander
• Granted Patent: US 9,950,966 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/20 from macromolecular compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/22 Rubber , e.g. ground waste tires
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 18/24 Vegetable refuse, e.g. rice husks, maize-ear refuse; Cellulosic materials, e.g. paper , cork
• CPC Class Codes: C04B 20/023 Chemical treatment
• CPC Class Codes: C05C 11/00 Other nitrogenous fertilisers
• CPC Class Codes: C05C 3/00 Fertilisers containing other salts of ammonia or ammonia itself, e.g. gas liquor
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 17/14 containing organic compounds only
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 17/48 Organic compounds mixed with inorganic active ingredients, e.g. polymerisation catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/91 Use of waste materials as fillers for mortars or concrete

Abstract

It has been discovered that waste cross-linked polymer materials both synthetic (scrap tire rubber, used polyurethane, and epoxy and phenol resins in discarded printed circuit boards) and natural (wood biomass, keratin, and chitin) can be conveniently depolymerized at slightly elevated temperatures and moderate pressures by the action of a liquid chemical reagent. The proposed inexpensive process results in a substantial to total depolymerization of synthetic polymers and thereby recovers valuable liquid and solid materials. When applied to lignocellulosic biomass, the proposed process, depending on the reaction conditions, either unlocks the lignin-hemicellulose matrix making cellulose more available for fermenting microorganisms or results in carbonization, or coalification of the biomass that may be desirable in terms of sequestering excessive carbon from the Earth'"'"'s biosphere.

Claims

1. A nitrogen-containing product produced by the process of:

(a) combining polymeric material and a chemical reagent in a reaction vessel, wherein the chemical reagent is made by combining a nucleophilic agent and an electrophilic agent;

(b) heating the contents of the said reaction vessel to a temperature of between about 20-250°

C.

2. The product of claim 1, wherein the reaction vessel is hermetically sealed while heating the contents of the said reaction vessel.

3. The product of claim 1, wherein the reaction vessel is under external pressure while heating the contents of the said reaction vessel.

4. The product of claim 1, wherein the heating is at a maximum temperature of between about 50-250°

C.

5. The product of claim 1, wherein the heating is at a maximum temperature of between about 80-120°

C.

6. The product of claim 1, wherein the heating is at a maximum temperature of between about 50-250°

C. for between about 1 minute and 24 hours.

7. The product of claim 1, wherein the heating is conducted with the pressure in the reaction vessel ranging from between about 1 bar to 275 bar (from 14.5 to 4,000 psi).

8. The product of claim 1, further comprising allowing the heated reaction vessel to cool to room temperature.

9. The product of claim 1, further comprising allowing the polymeric material and chemical reagent mixture to remain in the reaction vessel at room temperature for between about 1 to 600 minutes prior to heating.

10. The product of claim 1, wherein the nucleophilic agent is an amine compound.

11. The product of claim 10, wherein the nucleophilic agent is ammonia.

12. The product of claim 11, wherein the nucleophilic agent is anhydrous ammonia.

13. The product of claim 1, wherein the electrophilic agent is a haloalkane.

14. The product of claim 13, wherein the electrophilic agent is a chloroalkane.

15. The product of claim 14, wherein the electrophilic agent is dichloromethane.

16. The product of claim 1, wherein the nucleophilic agent and the electrophilic agent are in a mole-to-mole ratio which ranges from about 1:

10 to 10;

1, respectively.

18. The product of claim 1, wherein the polymeric material is scrap tires, discarded polyurethane items, used PET bottles, scrap PVC items, or printed circuit boards.

20. The product of claim 1, wherein the polymeric material is wood, switchgrass, corn stover, sugarcane bagasse, straw, algae, seaweed, peat, lignite, coal, leather, tanning waste, wool, other keratin-containing animal products, fabric cuttings, or chitin.

47. An agricultural field comprising a product of claim 1.

17. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

21. A process comprising:

(a) combining polymeric material and a chemical reagent in a reaction vessel, wherein the chemical reagent is made by combining a nucleophilic agent and an electrophilic agent;

(b) heating the contents of the said reaction vessel to a temperature of between about 20-250°

C.

22-46. -46. (canceled)

48-50. -50. (canceled)