Back to results
US 11,834,526 B2Granted
Processes for the removal of rubber from non-Hevea plants
AssigneeBridgestone Corporation
InventorsYingyi Huang, Mark W. Smale, Robert W. White, Hiroshi Mouri, William M. Cole, Michael R. Hartzell, Taigyoo Park
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided herein are organic solvent-based processes for the removal of rubber from non-Hevea plants such as guayule shrubs. By the use of the processes, solid purified rubber can be obtained that contains 0.05-0.5 weight % dirt, 0.2-1.5 weight % ash, and 0.1-4 weight % resin (when it has been dried so as to contain 0.8 weight % volatile matter).
Claims20
An organic solvent-based process for the removal of rubber from guayule plant matter comprising:
- a. utilizing a slurry containing (i) guayule plant matter, the guayule plant matter comprising bagasse, rubber and resin;
- (ii) at least one non-polar organic solvent;
- and (iii) at least one polar organic solvent, wherein the slurry contains 10-50% by weight plant matter, 50-90% by weight of (ii) and (iii) combined, and 0.5-10 weight % water from the plant matter, and wherein the at least one polar organic solvent and at least one non-polar organic solvent are present in relative weight amounts of 50-90% and 10-50%, respectively;
- b. removing a majority of the bagasse from the slurry to produce a miscella and a first bagasse portion;
- c. removing 80-95 weight % of bagasse from the miscella, based on the total weight of bagasse present in the miscella, to form a purified miscella and a second bagasse fraction wherein the majority of the bagasse that is removed has a particle size of less than 105 microns;
- d. increasing the relative amount of polar organic solvent as compared to non-polar organic solvent within the purified miscella so as to coagulate the rubber;
- and
- e. producing solid purified rubber from the coagulated rubber where when said solid purified rubber contains 0.8 weight % volatile matter it also 0.1-4 weight % resin;
- wherein at least (a)-(c) are conducted at a temperature or temperatures of 10-80° C. and a pressure of 35 to 1000 kPa, and
- wherein the at least one non-polar organic solvent in (a) and (d) comprises hexanes.
7 more elements
An organic solvent-based process for the removal of rubber from guayule plant matter comprising:
- a. utilizing a slurry containing (i) guayule plant matter, the guayule plant matter comprising bagasse, rubber and resin;
- (ii) at least one non-polar organic solvent;
- and (iii) at least one polar organic solvent, wherein the slurry contains 10-50% by weight plant matter, 50-90% by weight of (ii) and (iii) combined, and 0.5-10 weight % water from the plant matter, and wherein the at least one polar organic solvent and at least one non-polar organic solvent are present in relative weight amounts of 50-90% and 10-50%, respectively;
- b. removing a majority of the bagasse from the slurry to produce a miscella and a first bagasse portion;
- c. removing 80-95 weight % of bagasse from the miscella, based on the total weight of bagasse present in the miscella, to form a purified miscella and a second bagasse fraction wherein the majority of the bagasse that is removed has a particle size of less than 105 microns;
- d. increasing the relative amount of polar organic solvent as compared to non-polar organic solvent within the purified miscella so as to coagulate rubber having a molecular weight of at least 1 million grams/mole;
- and
- e. producing solid purified rubber from the coagulated rubber where when said solid purified rubber contains 0.8 weight % volatile matter it also contains 0.1-4 weight % resin;
- wherein at least (a)-(c) are conducted at a temperature or temperatures of 10-80° C. and a pressure of 35 to 1000 kPa, and
- wherein the at least one non-polar organic solvent in (a) and (d) comprises hexanes.
7 more elements
An organic solvent-based process for the removal of rubber from guayule plant matter comprising:
- a. utilizing a slurry containing (i) guayule plant matter, the guayule plant matter comprising bagasse, rubber and resin;
- (ii) at least one non-polar organic solvent;
- and (iii) at least one polar organic solvent, wherein the slurry contains 10-50% by weight plant matter, 50-90% by weight of (ii) and (iii) combined, and 0.5-10 weight % water from the plant matter, and wherein the at least one polar organic solvent and at least one non-polar organic solvent are present in relative weight amounts of 50-90% and 10-50%, respectively;
- b. removing a majority of the bagasse from the slurry to produce a miscella and a first bagasse portion;
- c. removing 80-95 weight % of bagasse from the miscella, based on the total weight of bagasse present in the miscella, to form a purified miscella and a second bagasse fraction wherein the majority of the bagasse that is removed has a particle size of less than 105 microns;
- d. increasing the relative amount of polar organic solvent as compared to non-polar organic solvent within the purified miscella so as to coagulate rubber having a molecular weight of 1-1.5 million grams/mole;
- and
- e. producing solid purified rubber from the coagulated rubber where when said solid purified rubber contains 0.8 weight % volatile matter it also contains 0.1-4 weight % resin;
- wherein at least (a)-(c) are conducted at a temperature or temperatures of 10-80° C. and a pressure of 35 to 1000 kPa, and
- wherein the at least one non-polar organic solvent in (a) and (d) consists of hexanes and the at least one polar organic solvent in (a) and (d) comprises acetone.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.