Method for producing high-performance aviation fuel blendstocks from monoterpenes
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorsBenjamin G. Harvey, Karan R. Doppalapudi, Calvin Luke Keller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to an efficient, high-throughput method of converting monoterpenes to high performance aviation fuel blendstocks. The method is a one pot, two-step process that includes a dehydration step followed by a hydrogenation step. Both steps can proceed without the use of solvents. Use of biosynthetically generated monoterpenes by this method produces sustainable aviation fuel blendstocks having applications that include use as a full-performance or an ultra-performance jet fuel blendstock.
Claims18
A method of converting monoterpenes to cycloalkanes useful as high performance aviation fuel blendstocks, the method comprising:
- providing an oxygenated acyclic monoterpene as a substrate;
- dehydrating the substrate to generate a dehydrated product in a reaction vessel;
- hydrogenating the dehydrated product in the reaction vessel to generate cycloalkanes;
- and
- purifying the cycloalkanes, thereby producing a fuel blendstock, wherein
- the oxygenated acyclic monoterpene is obtained from one or more plant extracts or is synthesized from biological sources,
- dehydrating the substrate comprises creating a vacuum in the reaction vessel or filling the reaction vessel with an inert gas, and heating the reaction vessel to a temperature of about 0° C. to less than about 50° C. for about 1 hour to about 6 hours,
- hydrogenating the dehydrated products comprises creating a hydrogen atmosphere by pressurizing the reaction vessel using hydrogen to a pressure of about 500 pounds per square inch, and performing a hydrogenation reaction at one or more temperatures from about 25° C. to about 150° C. for about 1 hour to about 15 hours, and
- dehydrating the substrate and hydrogenating the dehydrated product are performed without the use of a solvent.
A method of converting monoterpenes to cycloalkanes useful as high performance aviation fuel blendstocks, the method comprising:
- placing an oxygenated cyclic monoterpene as a substrate in a reaction vessel;
- pressurizing the reaction vessel using hydrogen to a pressure of about 500 pounds per square inch;
- dehydrating the substrate to generate a dehydrated product in the pressurized reaction vessel;
- hydrogenating the dehydrated product in the pressurized reaction vessel to generate cycloalkanes;
- and
- purifying the cycloalkanes, thereby producing a fuel blendstock, wherein
- the oxygenated cyclic monoterpene is obtained from one or more plant extracts or is synthesized from biological sources,
- dehydrating the substrate comprises heating the reaction vessel to a temperature of about 0° C. to less than about 50° C. for about 1 hour to about 6 hours,
- hydrogenating the dehydrated products comprises a hydrogenation reaction performed at one or more temperatures from about 25° C. to about 150° C. for about 1 hour to about 15 hours, and
- dehydrating the substrate and hydrogenating the dehydrated product are performed without the use of a solvent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.