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US 2013/0172582 A1Published application
Processes for making furfurals
AssigneeE. I. Du Pont de Nemours and Company
InventorsKeith W. Hutchenson, Michael Stephen McKinnon, Bhuma Rajagopalan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Processes for making furfural and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from sugars are provided. The processes can be carried out using a batch process or a continuous mode of operation. An aqueous sugar solution is pressurized with CO2, thereby producing carbonic acid in situ that catalyzes the dehydration reaction to produce furfural from C5 sugars and 5-methylhydroxyfurfural from C6 sugars.
Claims7
A process comprising contacting an aqueous sugar solution with CO2 in a batch mode of operation:
- a) providing, in a reaction vessel, an aqueous sugar solution comprising at least one C5 sugar, at least one C6 sugar, or a mixture of at least one C5 sugar and at least one C6 sugar, and optionally a water-miscible organic co-solvent;
- and
- b) adding the solution to the reaction vessel and pressurizing with CO2 under agitation to form a reaction mixture;
- c) maintaining the reaction mixture at a temperature within a range of from about 90° C. to about 220° C., and a pressure within a range of from 0.1 MPa to about 30 MPa, for a time sufficient to effect a reaction to produce a reaction product comprising:
- i) furfural and/or 5-hydroxymethyl furfural,
- ii) water, and
- iii) an aqueous condensate comprising insoluble humins;
- d) quenching the reaction mixture to a temperature of about room temperature;
- e) collecting the aqueous condensate from the reaction mixture upon depressurisation through a single or multistage column;
- and
- f) collecting the reaction vessel contents and separating the furfural and/or 5-hydroxymethyl furfural from the reaction vessel contents, and separating the insoluble humins.
8 more elements
A process comprising contacting an aqueous sugar solution with CO2 in a continuous mode of operation, the process comprising:
- a) providing an aqueous sugar solution comprising at least one C5 sugar, at least one C6 sugar, or a mixture of at least one C5 sugar and at least one C6 sugar;
- b) providing a reaction vessel;
- c) continuously adding the sugar solution to the reaction vessel and CO2 under agitation to form a reaction mixture, wherein the temperature of the reaction mixture is within a range of from about 90° C. to about 220° C., and the operating pressure is between 0.1 MPa and about 30 MPa;
- d) maintaining the reaction mixture temperature and pressure for a time sufficient to effect a reaction to produce a reaction product comprising:
- i) furfural and/or 5-hydroxymethyl furfural,
- ii) water, and
- iii) an aqueous condensate comprising insoluble humins;
- e) continuously feeding and removing sugar solution, CO2, or both from the reaction vessel;
- f) removing vapors of water and furfural and/or 5-hydroxymethylfurfural from the reaction mixture through a single or multistage column;
- and
- g) removing liquid from the reaction vessel through a separation device.
8 more elements
A process comprising:
- a) providing in a reaction vessel, an aqueous sugar solution comprising at least one C5 sugar, at least one C6 sugar, or a mixture of at least one C5 sugar and at least one C6 sugar, and optionally a water-miscible organic co-solvent;
- and
- b) adding the solution to the reaction vessel and pressurizing with CO2 under agitation to form a reaction mixture;
- c) maintaining the reaction mixture at a temperature in a range of 90-220° C., and a pressure in a range of 0.1-30 MPa, for a time sufficient to produce a mixture comprising one or more of furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and water;
- d) quenching the reaction mixture to room temperature and depressurizing the reaction vessel into a condenser to form a condensate, wherein the condensate comprises one or more of humins, furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural and water, and
- wherein the reaction vessel contents comprise one or more of furfural, 5-hydroxymethyl furfural, water and unreacted sugar;
- and
- e) collecting the reaction vessel contents and separating the furfural and/or 5-hydroxymethyl furfural from the reaction vessel contents, and separating the insoluble humins.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.