# US 10,370,596 B2 · Production of alternative gasoline fuels

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- Number: US 10,370,596 B2
- Document ID: US10370596B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/234,148
- Filed: 2016-08-11
- Published: 2017-02-16
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2015-08-13
- Assignees: Virent, Inc.
- Applicants: Virent, Inc.
- Inventors: Paul Blommel; Richard Price
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10370596B2

## CPC

- C10G 3/42: {Catalytic treatment}
- C10G 3/50: {in the presence of hydrogen, hydrogen donors or hydrogen generating compounds}
- C10G 45/58: to change the structural skeleton of some of the hydrocarbon content without cracking the other hydrocarbons present, e.g. lowering pour point; Selective hydrocracking of normal paraffins (C10G32/00 takes precedence; improving or increasing the octane number or aromatic content of naphtha C10G35/00)
- C10G 65/043: {at least one step being a change in the structural skeleton}
- C10L 1/06: for spark ignition
- C10L 10/10: for improving the octane number
- C10G 2300/202: Heteroatoms content, i.e. S, N, O, P
- C10G 2400/02: Gasoline
- C10G 2400/30: Aromatics
- C10L 2290/543: Distillation, fractionation or rectification for separating fractions, components or impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel
- Y02P 30/20: using bio-feedstock
- C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES
- C10L: FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G OR C10K; LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS; USE OF ADDITIVES TO FUELS OR FIRES; FIRE-LIGHTERS
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A method for producing an alternative gasoline fuel which contains 60% v/v or more of a combination of (a) a biologically-derived alcohol and (b) a mixture of C4 to C12 hydrocarbon fuel components, all of which hydrocarbon fuel components have been derived, whether directly or indirectly, from the catalytic conversion of a non-petroleum or biologically-derived oxygenate component, wherein the concentration of the alcohol (a) in the formulation is from 0.1 to 30% v/v.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing a fuel mixture of C4 to C12 hydrocarbon fuel components, the method comprising:
(i) catalytically reacting a plurality of biologically derived oxygenates with a condensation catalyst at a condensation temperature and condensation pressure to provide a mixture of C4+ hydrocarbons, and fractionating the mixture of C4+ hydrocarbons to provide a high octane hydrocarbon fuel component comprising a mixture of C5 to C12 hydrocarbons, wherein the mixture of C5 to C12 hydrocarbons comprises a C5 hydrocarbon or a C6 hydrocarbon, and further comprises a Cm hydrocarbon, a C11 hydrocarbon, or a C12 hydrocarbon, the high octane hydrocarbon fuel component having in the range of from 40 to 80% v/v of aromatic hydrocarbons and a research octane number (RON) of 80 or greater; and
(ii) combining the high octane hydrocarbon fuel component with a low octane hydrocarbon fuel component obtained from the mixture of C4+ hydrocarbons to produce the fuel mixture of C4 to C12 hydrocarbon fuel components, the low octane hydrocarbon fuel component comprising one or more hydrocarbons selected from the group consisting of C5 to C10 hydrocarbons and mixtures thereof, and having in the range of from 75% to 100% v/v of paraffinic hydrocarbons and in the range of from 0% to 20% v/v of aromatic hydrocarbons and a RON of 70 or lower.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of biologically derived oxygenates is obtained by providing water and a water-soluble oxygenated hydrocarbon and catalytically reacting in the liquid and/or vapor phase the water-soluble oxygenated hydrocarbon with hydrogen in the presence of a deoxygenation catalyst at a deoxygenation temperature and deoxygenation pressure to produce the plurality of biologically derived oxygenates, wherein the plurality of biologically derived oxygenates comprise C1+O1-3 compounds selected from the group consisting of alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, furans, esters, ethers, and organic acids.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2 wherein the water-soluble oxygenated hydrocarbon is selected from the group consisting of a lignin derivative, a cellulose derivative, a hemicellulose derivative, a saccharide, a starch, a sugar alcohol, and a polyol.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the fractionating the mixture of C4+ hydrocarbons further provides a naphtha fraction separate from the high octane hydrocarbon fuel component and further comprising catalytically reacting the naphtha fraction with a catalyst to provide the low octane hydrocarbon fuel component.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The method of claim 4 wherein the naphtha fraction comprises benzene.