Synthesis of biolubricant esters from unsaturated fatty acid derivatives.
AssigneeChevron U.S.A. Inc.
InventorsSaleh Ali Elomari, Stephen Joseph Miller, Zhen Zhou
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Abstract
The present invention is generally directed to diester-based lubricant compositions comprising one or more isomeric mixtures of diester species. The present invention is also directed to methods of making these and other similar lubricant compositions. In some embodiments, the methods for making such diester-based lubricants utilize a biomass precursor material from which mono-unsaturated free lipid species can be provided or otherwise generated, wherein such mono-unsaturated free lipid species are converted to isomeric diol species en route to the synthesis of diester species for use as/in the diester-based lubricant compositions.
Claims12
A method comprising the steps of:
- a) converting a quantity of mono-unsaturated fatty acid species, having a carbon number of from 10 to 22, to an isomeric mixture of diol species having the same carbon number as the mono-unsaturated fatty acid species from which they were derived, wherein said converting proceeds via an epoxide intermediate species;
- and
- b) esterifying the isomeric mixture of diol species with an esterifying species to form an isomeric mixture of diester species, wherein the isomeric mixture of diester species comprises the following isomerically-related structures:
- wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are the same or independently selected from C2 to C20 hydrocarbon groups, and wherein n and m are the same or independently selected from the group of integers 2 to 20.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.