Systems and methods for producing nitriles
AssigneeAlliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
InventorsEric M. Karp, Gregg Tyler Beckham, Derek Richard Vardon, Todd R. Eaton
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Abstract
An aspect of the present disclosure is a method that includes a first reacting a molecule from at least one of a carboxylic acid, an ester of a carboxylic acid, and/or an anhydride with ammonia to form a nitrile, where the first reacting is catalyzed using an acid catalyst. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the molecule may include at least one of acetic acid, lactic acid, and/or 3-hydroxyproprionic acid (3-HPA). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the molecule may include at least one of methyl acetate, ethyl lactate, and/or ethyl 3-hydroxypropanoate (ethyl 3-HP). In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the anhydride may be acetic anhydride.
Claims11
A method comprising:
- reacting a molecule comprising at least one of a carboxylic acid, an ester of a carboxylic acid, or an anhydride with ammonia to form acrylonitrile, wherein:
- the reacting is catalyzed using a metal oxide catalyst excluding TiO2.
A method comprising:
- esterifying a carboxylic acid with an alcohol to produce an ester and water;
- and
- nitrilating the ester to produce acrylonitrile, the alcohol, and water, wherein:
- the nitrilating is performed by reacting the ester with ammonia over a metal oxide catalyst excluding TiO2.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.