Methods of Preparing Renewable Butadiene and Renewable Isoprene
OwnerMatthew W. Peters, Joshua D. Taylor +2inventors
InventorsMatthew W. Peters, Joshua D. Taylor, Leo E. Manzer, David E. Henton
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Abstract
Isobutene, isoprene, and butadiene are obtained from mixtures of C4 and/or C5 olefins by dehydrogenation. The C4 and/or C5 olefins can be obtained by dehydration of C4 and C5 alcohols, for example, renewable C4 and C5 alcohols prepared from biomass by thermochemical or fermentation processes. Isoprene or butadiene can be polymerized to form polymers such as polyisoprene, polybutadiene, synthetic rubbers such as butyl rubber, etc. in addition, butadiene can be converted to monomers such as methyl methacrylate, adipic acid, adiponitrile, 1,4-butadiene, etc. which can then be polymerized to form nylons, polyesters, polymethylmethacrylate etc.
Claims43
A method of preparing butadiene comprising:
- (a) providing an alcohol mixture comprising one or more butanols;
- (b) contacting said alcohol mixture with a dehydration catalyst, thereby forming an olefin mixture comprising one or more linear butenes and isobutene;
- (c) contacting the olefin mixture of (b) with a dehydrogenation catalyst, thereby forming a di-olefin mixture comprising butadiene and isobutene;
- and
- (d) isolating butadiene from the di-olefin mixture of (c).
A method of preparing isoprene comprising:
- (a) providing an olefin mixture comprising one or more pentenes, with the proviso that at least a portion of the olefin mixture comprises one or more methylbutenes;
- (b) contacting the olefin mixture of (a) with a dehydrogenation catalyst, thereby forming a mixture comprising isoprene;
- and
- (c) isolating isoprene from the mixture of step (b).
A method of preparing isobutene comprising:
- (a) providing an olefin mixture comprising one or more linear butenes and isobutene;
- (b) contacting the olefin mixture of (a) with a dehydrogenation catalyst, thereby forming a di-olefin mixture comprising butadiene and isobutene;
- and
- (c) isolating isobutene from the mixture of (b).
A method of preparing a renewable monomer, comprising:
- (a) providing an alcohol mixture comprising one or more renewable butanols;
- (b) contacting said alcohol mixture with a dehydration catalyst, thereby forming an olefin mixture comprising one or more renewable linear butenes and renewable isobutane;
- (c) removing at least a portion of the renewable isobutene from the olefin mixture, thereby forming an isobutene depleted olefin mixture;
- (d) contacting the isobutene depleted olefin mixture of (c) with a dehydrogenation catalyst, thereby forming a dehydrogenation mixture comprising renewable butadiene;
- (e) isolating recovering renewable butadiene from the dehydrogenation mixture of step (d);
- and
- (f) converting the renewable butadiene to a renewable monomer selected from the group consisting of 1,4-butanediol, THF, N-vinylpyrrolidinone, lauryllactam, chloroprene, adipic acid, hexamethylenediamine, caprolactam, and ethylidene norbornene.
A method of preparing isoprene comprising:
- (a) providing an olefin mixture comprising one or more linear butenes and isobutene;
- (b) contacting the olefin mixture of (a) with a dehydrogenation catalyst, thereby forming a di-olefin mixture comprising butadiene and isobutene;
- and
- (c) isolating isobutene from the mixture of (b);
- (d) reacting the isobutene with formaldehyde in the presence of an acidic catalyst, thereby forming isoprene.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.