Production of Higher Alcohols
AssigneeGreenyug, LLC
InventorsSagar B. GADEWAR, Brian Christopher VICENTE, Peter K. STOIMENOV, Vivek JULKA
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Abstract
A reactive distillation method comprises introducing a feed stream to a reactive distillation column, contacting the feed stream with one or more catalysts in the reactive distillation column during a distillation, and removing one or more higher alcohols during the distillation from the reactive distillation column as a bottoms stream. The feed stream comprises one or more alpha hydrogen alcohols, and the feed stream reacts in the presence of the one or more catalysts to produce a reaction product comprising the one or more higher alcohols.
Claims40
A reactive distillation method comprising:
- introducing a feed stream to a reactive distillation column, wherein the feed stream comprises one or more alpha hydrogen alcohols;
- contacting the feed stream with one or more catalysts in the reactive distillation column during a distillation, wherein the feed stream reacts in the presence of the one or more catalysts to produce a reaction product comprising one or more higher alcohols;
- and
- removing the one or more higher alcohols during the distillation from the reactive distillation column as a bottoms stream.
A reactive distillation system comprising:
- a reactive distillation column comprising:
- a catalyst located generally centrally in the column,
- an ethanol feed in fluid communication with the reactive distillation column and configured to pass ethanol over the catalyst, wherein the catalyst is configured to convert at least a portion of the ethanol feed into butanol in the reactive distillation column;
- an overhead product water removal passage, and
- a bottoms product higher alcohol removal passage;
- a product separation system comprising an inlet configured to receive the bottoms product from the reactive distillation column, a higher alcohol product removal passage, and an ethanol removal passage;
- and
- a recycle line coupling the ethanol removal passage from the product separation system and an inlet to the reactive distillation column.
A method of separating a mixed organic and aqueous phase stream, the method comprising:
- separating an inlet stream into an overhead stream and a bottoms stream in a separation unit, wherein the inlet stream comprises water, butanol, and an esters, wherein the overhead stream comprises the water and the ester, and wherein the bottoms stream comprises butanol;
- passing the overhead stream to a decanter;
- generating, in the decanter, an aqueous phase comprising substantially all of the water and an organic phase comprising the esters;
- removing the aqueous phase from the decanter as an aqueous stream;
- removing the organic phase from the decanter as an organics stream;
- separating the organics stream into a product stream and a recycle stream, wherein the product stream comprises the esters, and wherein the recycle stream comprises the water.
A method of separating a mixed organic and aqueous phase stream, the method comprising:
- separating an inlet stream into an overhead stream and a bottoms stream in a separation unit, wherein the inlet stream comprises water, a plurality of higher alcohols, and one or more esters, wherein the overhead stream comprises the water, the one or more esters, and a first portion of the plurality of higher alcohols, and wherein the bottoms stream comprises a second portion of the plurality of higher alcohols;
- separating the bottoms stream into at least one product stream comprising a first higher alcohol of the first portion of the plurality of higher alcohols;
- passing the overhead stream to a decanter;
- generating, in the decanter, an aqueous phase comprising substantially all of the water and an organic phase comprising the one or more esters and the second portion of the plurality of higher alcohols;
- removing the aqueous phase from the decanter as an aqueous stream;
- removing the organic phase from the decanter as an organics stream;
- and
- separating the organics stream into a first stream comprising the one or more esters and a second stream comprising the second portion of the plurality of higher alcohols.
A method of separating an alcohol from butyl acetate, the method comprising:
- adding water to an inlet stream to form a combined stream, wherein the inlet stream comprises an alcohol and one or more butyl esters, wherein the one or more butyl esters comprise butyl acetate;
- distilling the combined stream to produce an overhead stream and a bottoms stream, wherein the overhead stream comprises a water and the butyl acetate, and wherein the bottoms stream comprises a majority of the alcohol;
- condensing the overhead stream;
- and
- decanting an aqueous phase stream from an organic phase stream, wherein the aqueous phase stream comprises a majority of the water in the overhead stream, and wherein the organic phase stream comprises a majority of the butyl acetate in the overhead stream.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.